Australian flag flying in Toowoomba, Queensland

What is now the Australian national flag was created soon after Federation in a competition in which nearly 33,000 people took part.

The dark blue flag included the Union Jack in the canton (as did most of the other submissions), and beneath it was a Federation Star with six points representing each of the Australian states. On the right side, known as the fly, were the five stars of the Southern Cross.

The flag has not changed much since the 1901 competition. But in 1908, when Papua became an external territory of Australia, a seventh point was added to the Federation Star. The seventh point represents all of Australia’s external territories.