flag of Western Australia

The flag of Western Australia consists of a Blue Ensign defaced with the badge of the state. Adopted in 1953 to replace a similar design used from the time when the state was still a British colony, it has been the flag of Western Australia since 3 November of that year. The design of the present flag entailed reversing the direction of the black swan so that it faced towards the hoist. This was done in order to adhere to vexillological convention. Western Australia's flag is similar to the flags of the other five Australian states, which are also Blue Ensigns with their respective state badges. When flown with those state flags and the national flag, it is sixth in the order of precedence. This is indicative of its position on the Commonwealth Coat of Arms. History The first confirmed European sighting of the western coast of Australia was made by the Dutch East India Company in the early 1600s. During an expedition in January 1697 to what is now Cottesloe, Willem de Vlamingh observed black swans in habitation at the estuary of the river there. He consequently named this body of water the Swan River (Zwaanenrivier in Dutch). However, the Dutch abandoned aspirations to annex the area, having discerned poor prospects for trade or colonisation. The British later established settlements at Fremantle and Perth in June 1829. These were collectively called the Swan River Colony. The black swan soon became the unofficial symbol of the territory. For instance, it was depicted on its banknotes, which began circulating several years after the establishment of the colony. The bird was also featured on the Swan River Guardian, the settlement's first newspaper, as well as the inaugural issue of the Western Australian Government Gazette. Both of these were first printed in 1836. It was subsequently portrayed on the first postage stamps issued by the colony in 1854. An Order in Council was promulgated on 17 August 1869, instructing British colonial governors to fly the British ensign defaced with the coat of arms or badge of the territory. On 3 January of the following year, Frederick Weld, the Governor of Western Australia, put forward a proposed design of the badge that depicted a black swan on a yellow backdrop. His reasoning for this sketch was that the colony "at its commencement was usually known as the Swan River Settlement, and the Black Swan is represented upon its seal, and has always been considered as its special badge, or cognizance".