What do you think?
Rate this book
Straya Day: The unofficial history of Australia's national day
The unofficial history of Australia's national day since the first contentious one, thereby offering 237 other reasons for a day off.
'The nation is grateful. This is an indispensable book. It will grace the bookshelves of any trivia lover and also people who want to deep dive into the true nature of this country' David Marr
Like it or not, 26 January in Australia has become a significant day of both celebration and mourning.
Most countries, if not all, have a national day. Reasons to celebrate a national day include independence from a colonial power, the signing of a treaty, or an act by a monarch, political leader or patron saint. Australia is the only country whose national day celebrates the colonisation of an already occupied territory. Controversially, it continues to do so despite most of its citizens both acknowledging this and the devastating impact upon its original inhabitants.
So what other reasons might we find to mark our national holiday? Well, as it happens, some very significant, funny, tragic, curious and plain old ordinary things have also occurred on that date.
In the spirit of humour, history and humility, here are 237 other events that 26 January could instead be remembered for besides a British Governor raising a British flag on Australian soil.
'The nation is grateful. This is an indispensable book. It will grace the bookshelves of any trivia lover and also people who want to deep dive into the true nature of this country' David Marr
Like it or not, 26 January in Australia has become a significant day of both celebration and mourning.
Most countries, if not all, have a national day. Reasons to celebrate a national day include independence from a colonial power, the signing of a treaty, or an act by a monarch, political leader or patron saint. Australia is the only country whose national day celebrates the colonisation of an already occupied territory. Controversially, it continues to do so despite most of its citizens both acknowledging this and the devastating impact upon its original inhabitants.
So what other reasons might we find to mark our national holiday? Well, as it happens, some very significant, funny, tragic, curious and plain old ordinary things have also occurred on that date.
In the spirit of humour, history and humility, here are 237 other events that 26 January could instead be remembered for besides a British Governor raising a British flag on Australian soil.
485 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 13, 2026
9 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Matt Murphy
4 books5 followersAt school, Matt Murphy failed English and couldn't see the point of history. He became a firie and has been serving in Sydney's inner city for 38 years. He is now also a part time historian and teacher, tolerating the attitudes of kids towards history that he used to share.
He has written four books: Weight of Evidence, about what was the longest civil court case in New South Wales; Rum, about the influence of alcohol in colonial Australia; Gold, concerning the life of Edward Hargraves and his dubious claim to be Australia's gold discoverer; and Straya Day, looking at 237 other things that could instead be commemorated on Australia's national day.
Matt also can't believe they made him write his own bio.
He has written four books: Weight of Evidence, about what was the longest civil court case in New South Wales; Rum, about the influence of alcohol in colonial Australia; Gold, concerning the life of Edward Hargraves and his dubious claim to be Australia's gold discoverer; and Straya Day, looking at 237 other things that could instead be commemorated on Australia's national day.
Matt also can't believe they made him write his own bio.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 11, 2026
January 26th – Australia Day and what a divisive public holiday this is. As this book illustrates many other historical events have happened on or near to this date but it is the date itself (within Australia) that brings about many robust discussions.
March 3, 2026
My favourite. Not necessarily a lot of fun stories (though many are!) but great fun to research and write.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews