About

About the Australia Day Regatta

The Australia Day Regatta, proudly acclaimed as the oldest continuously-conducted annual sailing regatta in the world, has been conducted each year since 1837. Originally known as the Anniversary Regatta, this colourful event is held on Sydney Harbour and began as a commemoration of the founding of modern Australia when, on 26 January 1788, the first European settlers arrived on Australian shores — a land that had previously been occupied for thousands of years by Australia’s First Nations people. Today the Australia Day Regatta is more a celebration of Australian life — it’s all about community, inclusiveness and of being at one with nature.

From its beginnings, the regatta has been about equality and opportunity. It has always been a sailing event open to all — from large ocean-racing vessels to 18 foot skiffs, to plywood trailer-sailers and radio-controlled model boats. It was designed to demonstrate that sailing is a sport which allows everybody, regardless of ability or disability, age, race or gender to take part on a level playing field. It is less a race than a celebration of Australian life — freedom, equality and opportunity.

It is also an important reminder of the link between the land, the sea and the environment. For tens of thousands of years, Indigenous Australians have been aware of the symbiotic relationship between our country and the water that surrounds it. First Nations people from the saltwater clans have long had totemic relationships with, and responsibilities for, the sea and the different sea creatures within.

The Australia Day Regatta also celebrates that linkage. Getting out on the water is about getting close to nature and seeing it at its best, increasing knowledge and awareness of the environment and seeing that it is worth protecting; gaining a better understanding of interconnections and our place in ‘the big picture’ and connecting with cultures past and present.

The Australia Day Regatta has been held every year since 1837 — in peace and war — an extraordinary achievement in sailing but equally a remarkable celebration of Australia and the Australian way of life.

Australia Day Regatta on Sydney Harbour, 26 January 2019 – Division 1 start