<P> 1818 was the 30th anniversary of the founding of the colony , and Governor Lachlan Macquarie chose to acknowledge the day with the first official celebration . The Governor declared that the day would be a holiday for all government workers , granting each an extra allowance of `` one pound ( c. 450g ) of fresh meat '' , and ordered a 30 - gun salute at Dawes Point -- one for each year that the colony had existed . This began a tradition that was retained by the Governors that were to follow . </P>
<P> 1818 was the 30th anniversary of the founding of the colony , and Governor Lachlan Macquarie chose to acknowledge the day with the first official celebration . The Governor declared that the day would be a holiday for all government workers , granting each an extra allowance of `` one pound ( c. 450g ) of fresh meat '' , and ordered a 30 - gun salute at Dawes Point -- one for each year that the colony had existed . This began a tradition that was retained by the Governors that were to follow . </P>
when was australia day first celebrated as a public holiday
when was australia day first celebrated as a public holiday
1818
1818