Today is Australia Day. For those of you that don’t know why I started this blog I owe it all to Australia. You see Chris took a job over 7 sugar mills in Australia in 2008 and as a way to keep friends and family updated on what we were doing down under I started a blog. Now my current blog looks very different from how it all started years ago but I count our adventure in Australia as one of the best things that we have ever done.

One of my friends from our time there posted a picture of lamingtons that she made on Facebook. Oh how I miss lamingtons. So what is a lamington? A little bit of heaven. In a nutshell it is a cube of spongecake dipped in chocolate and then rolled in desiccated coconut.  Sometimes they are have a layer of cream or strawberry jam in the. middle but honestly – they don’t need that.

I found lots of pictures of lamingtons on line and they all make my mouth water.

Oh how I wish I had one right now to celebrate Australia Day. They are a traditionally served sweet to help folks celebrate.

But how about a few facts about Australia Day gleaned from the internet?

The official national day of Australia is celebrated annually on January 26 and commerorates the arrival of British ships to establish the first European settlement in Australia in 1788. Eleven ships carried over 750 criminals who had been tried and convicted in Great Britain for mostly petty crimes and then transported to penal colonies established by the British throughout the world, including North America and the Pacific. An additional 300 citizens from military and medical backgrounds made the trip to Australia, establishing the new colony.

The first celebration of British sovereignty over the eastern coast of Australia occurred in 1818. Serving as a day of national unity and the largest annual civic event in the country, Australia Day is filled with a variety of community and family traditions, the presentation of national awards and the welcoming of new Australian citizens.

But not all Australians celebrate the day. Indigenous Australians have long referred to this date as “Invasion Day” or “National Day of Mourning” in protest of the arrival of the British peoples. The Australian government has acknowledged the traditional owners of lands which Australia Day takes place, in hope that Australians from all backgrounds come together to celebrate Australia as a multicultural society.  

So Happy Australia Day to all. Here are a few pictures from our time there.

Have you ever been Down Under? I would love to hear about it so leave me a comment and Comment for a Cause for Mountain Laurel Animal Rescue.