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Australia National Anthem

Advance Australia Fair

Written 1878
Adopted 1984
Lyrics Peter Dodds McCormick
Music Peter Dodds McCormick
🌿 Nature 🤝 Unity 🌾 Prosperity 🕊 Freedom | Joyful

Key Facts

  • 1. The original 1878 version had four verses, but only the first two are officially performed today; the omitted verses contain dated colonial-era language.
  • 2. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, soprano Yvonne Kenny performed the anthem at the opening ceremony, and her rendition is widely considered the most iconic live performance of it.
  • 3. In a 1977 national plebiscite, 'Advance Australia Fair' received only 43% of the vote, winning by plurality over 'Waltzing Matilda' (28%), 'God Save the Queen' (19%), and 'Song of Australia' (10%).
Australia - Advance Australia Fair

Australia National Anthem Lyrics

Australians all let us rejoice, For we are one and free We've golden soil and wealth for toil Our home is girt by sea Our land abounds in nature's gifts Of beauty rich and rare In history's page, let every stage Advance Australia Fair. In joyful strains then let us sing, Advance Australia Fair. Beneath our radiant Southern Cross We'll toil with hearts and hands To make this Commonwealth of ours Renowned of all the lands For those who've come across the seas We've boundless plains to share With courage let us all combine To Advance Australia Fair. In joyful strains then let us sing, Advance Australia Fair.

Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals

Analysis

Editorial

Written by Peter Dodds McCormick, a Scottish-born composer, in the late 1870s. It only became the official anthem in 1984 after a national plebiscite chose it over 'Waltzing Matilda,' 'God Save the Queen,' and 'Song of Australia.' In 2021, the second line was changed from 'for we are young and free' to 'for we are one and free' to acknowledge that Aboriginal Australians have inhabited the continent for over 65,000 years.

Learn More

National anthem on Wikipedia Official state symbols

Sources & References

  1. nl.wikisource.org: Advance Australia Fair . nl.wikisource.org

Source & Review

Source status
Reliable secondary source
Translation
Nationalia working translation
Rights status
Third-party rights may apply
Last reviewed
Editorial review
AI-assisted editorial review
Editorial owner
Nationalia
Report a correction
rights@nationalia.org

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