Flag of Western Australia
From open-encyclopedia.com - the free encyclopedia.
The current state flag of Western Australia was officially adopted in 1953.
The flag is based on the defaced British Blue Ensign with the state badge located in the fly. The badge is a gold disc with a native Black Swan, the swan is facing towards the hoist. The black swan has long been a symbol of Western Australia, in fact the original colony was called the Swan River Settlement at the location which is now Perth.
Previous Flag
The first flag of Western Australia was adopted in 1870 and is almost identical with the current flag of Western Australia. The only difference is that the swan was facing the opposite direction towards the fly rather than towards the hoist. The direction of the swan was changed to conform to the vexillological guideline that animals on flags must face the hoist, so when carried on a pole, the animal faces the same direction of the bearer.
