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Australian Bicentenary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1970 on the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing and claiming the land, and again in 1988 to celebrate 200 years of permanent white settlement.
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The bicentenary of Captain James Cook's arrival and claiming of the east coast of Australia in 1770. The name of the place on which he is believed to have made first landfall was renamed from Cape Everard back to the name Cook had given it, Point Hicks.
The bicentenary of Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival with the First Fleet in Sydney Harbour in 1788 and the founding of the city of Sydney and the colony of New South Wales.
The Australian Bicentennial Authority (ABA) was setup to plan, fund and coordinate projects that emphasized the nation's cultural heritage. State Councils were also created to ensure cooperation between the national and state governments.
The result was a national programme of events and celebrations to commemorate the Bicentenary, including,
- Expo '88 in Brisbane the largest event of these celebrations.
- the First Fleet re-enactment in Sydney Harbour
- Australian Bicentennial Exhibition, toured throughout Australia
- Australia Live, a television special
- all Australian schoolchildren were presented with a Bicentennial "Heritage Medallion"
1988 was also marked by the completion of many unique development projects such as the Bicentennial National Trail and on 9 May of that year, Queen Elizabeth II opened the New Parliament House in Canberra.[1]