January 26th is Australia Day
Australia Day is….. the day when the nation celebrates the arrival of the first fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788 and the British government proclaimed sovereignty over New Holland, as we were known until our name change in 1824.
Australia Day is…..the day the Australian of the Year is announced. This year’s winner is actor, Geoffrey Rush
Australia Day is…. a national holiday…..a day to celebrate with family and friends at home or at festivals, concerts and fireworks displays
Australia Day is…. the day of the Havaiana Thong Challenge!
At five beaches around Australia, the challenge is on to see if the world record for the longest line of inflatable Havianas joined in the water, can be broken
Cottesloe set the world record in 2010 but last year NSW won the challenge at North Bondi with 2068 people. Perth was able to reclaim the title this year with 2088 people taking to the water. The hot weather was certainly on our side!
When I arrived at Cottesloe Beach, all I could see were yellow and green Havaianas. They were everywhere.
Finally it was time for the challenge to commence. Everyone patiently queued in the 39°C heat so they could be counted into the water.
A continuous line of havaianas had to be created so the word was spread to hold on to the person next to you. The countdown was on.
The end of the national anthem signalled the announcement that the record was broken and a loud cheer was heard over the beach.
The Havaiana Challenge was over for another year!
Tonight about 400,000 people will watch the city skyline come alive with the Perth Skyworks show.
Happy Australia Day!
You may also like:
Paul Bangay’s Garden
Marie Antoinette’s Playground
The Seige of Canelli
Exploring Salina
The Australia Day Challenge
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What a wonderful sight and great pics as usual!
Thanks Jan. A bit of fun for Australia Day!
Cottesloe is my all time fave city beach in all of Australia and to see so many Hawaiianas floating out in the Indian ocean is quite a sight. Wish i was there. Wishing you a happy belated Aussie day!
Thanks for the Oz Day wishes. It’s a pretty amazing sight, isn’t it. I was fascinated by how they had to count everyone before they entered the water. I have never seen so many well behaved Aussies queuing! You’ll have to come and visit us again!
What a wonderful thing to do on Australia Day and what a great ad for Havianas. Very clever. I think they are Brazilian.
It was fun to be there even though it was 38°C – a bit hot on the sand, even with the havaianas on! It certainly is a great marketing ploy by the Brazilians.
how fun! excellent post – I love seeing how Aussies celebrate and this was one challenge I had never ever heard of. Wonderful photos. What a spectacular day!
Hi Marina. Perth 2, Sydney 1!! It’s a bit of fun and perfect for the hot summer. The 38° day helped Cottesloe win this time! Every one headed for the beach. It’s great that it happens all around Australia.
Amazing pics! I saw some coverage of this on TV and wished I’d been there to witness it myself. You did and you’ve brought it alive for me. Thank you 🙂
Thanks Jo. It’s a bit of fun and it was interesting to see how they organised it. Everyone had to be counted into the water and then hold onto each other to form a continuous line…and it actually happened!! You’ll have to come up next year!