The Australian Flag - Flags of the Australian States and Territories

Each Australian state has its own official flag, as do both mainland territories and some of the offshore territories.

Australian State Flags

Each of the six states of Australia has its own flag consisting of the Blue Ensign with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter, the fly half defaced with the badge or heraldic device of the state concerned:

New South Wales - Golden Lion passant (right to left) on a red St George's Cross on a silver background (usually depicted white), with an 8-pointed star on each extremity of the cross.
Victoria - White Southern Cross (one star of 8 points, 2 of 7 points one of 6 points and one of 5 points), beneath an Imperial Crown, on a blue background (originally without a crown, which was added in 1877).
Queensland - light blue Maltese Cross with an Imperial Crown at its Centre, on a white background.
South Australia - the White-Backed Magpie (or Piping Shrike), erect, wings outstretched, on a yellow background.
Western Australia - Black Swan swimming, right to left, on a yellow background (prior to 1953, the swan was swimmiming left to right, as on the Commonwealth Arms).
Tasmania - Red Lion passant (right to left) on a white background.

The shields or badges of each of the Australian States are combined in the Australian Commonwealth Arms.

Australian Territories' Flags

Some of the Australian Territories also have their own flags:

Northern Territory - the hoist third a white Southern Cross on a black background (5 stars, one eight-point, two 7-point, one 6-point, one 5-point), the fly two-thirds an ochre background with a large central stylized desert rose with a black centre and seven white petals (apparently an aspiration for seven rather than six Australian states) - adopted in 1978.
Australian Capital Territory - the hoist third a yellow Southern Cross on a blue background, the fly two thirds with the blue coat of arms of the Australian Capital Territory (shield with castle, beneath which is a rose and above crossed mace and sword, supporters a black swan and a white swan) on a yellow background.
Norfolk Island - two broad vertical stripes of green on the hoist and fly with central vertical white stipe with a silouette of a Norfolk Island Pine in the same green as the end stripes - adopted in 1980.
Christmas Island - a diagonally divided flag with a central yellow circle enclosing a white map of the island, lower hoist a white Souther Cross (five stars, four 7-point, one five point) on a blue background, upper fly a yellow frigate bird flying hoist to fly on a green background - an unofficial flag.
The remaining territories fly the Australian National Flag.

Prepared by Jim Croft (jrc@anbg.gov.au)
This site sponsored as a community service by the Australian National Botanic Gardens