Despite polls showing a resurgence of enthusiasm for celebrating Australia Day on January 26 there was little overt patriotism on display at Sydney’s Bondi Beach even compared to just a few years prior.
While sun-seekers flocked to the sand to enjoy an ideal beach day of blue skies with temperatures hovering around the mid 20s on Sunday, there were few Aussie flags or other national insignia and colours to be seen.
The only visible nod to the national day were a couple of men wearing Aussie flag caps or T-shirts and the occasional temporary tattoo.
This contrasts to photos from 2022 showing a different scene altogether, with many women donning Australian bikinis and hats, while others even draped themselves in the national flag.
Earlier in the day a crowd assembled to watch the ‘Dawn Reflection’, which honours Indigenous Australians.
Waverley Council, which encompasses some of Australia’s most affluent areas in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, said the event was to ‘acknowledge the resilience and survival of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’.
It would also acknowledge their ‘continuous connection to Country and culture as the Traditional Custodians of this land’.
Council began the event last year when mayor Paula Masselos said that Australians voting to not enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the constitution in October 2023 had partially sparked the decision.
The peaceful beach scenes in Sydney’s eastern suburbs contrasted strongly with the massive police presence on hand in Melbourne as an estimate 30,000 protesters descended on the centre of the city to protest the date of the national day.
Among sun-seekers flocking to Sydney’s iconic beach on Sunday there was little sign of Australian flags or other national insignia

A few men were spotted among the throngs of beachgoers on Australia Day sporting the national flag

However, in general the scene at Bondi looked like any other ordinary summer day at the beach
Protesters chanted ‘f*** the police’ as mounted officers were on standby and parts of the CBD were brought to a standstill.
Shops were boarded up or in some cases guarded by a police cordon with officers having to even block off major rail hub the Flinders Street train station.
Protest marches and events are also being staged around Australia.
The debate over whether January 26 should be the date for Australia Day has been the subject of sparring between Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Mr Albanese as the two square off for an election later this year.
Mr Dutton has promised to bring back laws mandating councils hold citizenship ceremonies, something Mr Albanese abolished after winning office in 2022.
‘I sometimes think that Peter Dutton every year has a fight with an imaginary friend over something that most Australians are just getting on with – Australia Day,’ Mr Albanese said on Friday.
‘And one of the things that Australia Day celebrates is the fact that we’re not a Soviet-style command system. You know, like just chill out! Get on with life.’

Families and friends celebrated Australia Day at Bondi Beach with more cabanas seen than the Australian flag

Australian flags were seen few and far between at Bondi Beach as the mood about the national holiday shifts

A pair of swimmers show off a couple of temporary tattoos of the Australian flag

A group of friends kick around a beach ball with the Australian flag on it

A swimmer enjoys the sunshine at Bondi Beach – with plain swimwear a more common sight than ones designed with the Australian flag

Plenty of families were spotted at Bondi Beach enjoying the water and sun on Sunday
Earlier this month a poll showed there had been a surge in support, particularly among young Aussies, for Australia Day on January 26.
The survey conducted by the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) found that 69 per cent of 1,002 respondents agreed that the national public holiday should remain on January 26- a six point increase from 12 months ago.
The embracing of January 26 as the national day was particularly pronounced among Australians aged 18-24, despite them being less in favour of the date than other other age group.
Last year, just 42 per cent of young Aussies supported celebrating on January 26 but that number has risen to 52 per cent.
A majority in every age bracket now prefers January 26 as the date for national commemoration.
The poll also found 86 per cent of respondents were ‘proud to be Australian’ while 68 per cent agreed that Australia has ‘a history to be proud of’.
IPA deputy executive Director Daniel Wild said the results demonstrated a shift in the vibe and energy surrounding Australia Day.
‘In the recent past every January, Australians have needed to endure the hand-wringing and navel gazing of the self-appointed thought leaders and elites demanding the country to think of the reasons to be ashamed of Australia. No more!’ he told the Daily Telegraph.
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