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| Crowds gathered at the Australia Celebrates concert on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra on Sunday. |
Australia Day festivities have kicked off around the country with swimming races, lamington-eating competitions and whip cracking among events on offer.
In Queensland, locals were set to take part in lessons on whip cracking in Toowoomba, a great Aussie pie-eating contest on the Sunshine Coast, and an attempt to break the world record for the longest line of giant inflatable thongs in open water at Mooloolaba beach.
Ice-skating and tobogganing were on the menu in Rockhampton while thong-throwing competitions were scheduled in Cairns.
On Bribie Island celebrations were perhaps a little more sedate with a free barbecue breakfast followed by a lamington eating competition.
More than 4,000 people from 118 countries will become Australian citizens in 42 ceremonies in Queensland alone.
In Hobart locals were set to indulge in a very traditional Australia Day surf lifesaving carnival, which kicked off with an ocean race.
Other scheduled events included a junior nippers competition, treasure hunts, tug-of-war and an inflatable thong race.
Despite rain and chilly temperatures in Sydney almost 1,000 people jumped into Sydney Harbour before embarking on a 2.2 kilometre swim.
The morning began with an Indigenous ceremony and welcome to country, with both the Australian and Aboriginal flags raised together on the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
While the flags were raised 16-year-old call Atalia Sullivan from Orange High School in the NSW central west sang the national anthem from atop the bridge.
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