Flag of South Australia

The flag of South Australia is a British Blue Ensign: a dark blue ground, the Union Jack in the mast corner and, in the centre, a golden disc with a bird. The bird is what makes the flag recognisable, because it is the official bird of the state and it also appears on its coat of arms.

How it came about

The current design is from 1904. South Australia was then a colony, and the colonial government chose the same base other Australian colonies use: the British Blue Ensign, a blue field with the Union Jack in the mast corner. In the centre of the free side they placed a golden disc with a figure.

The badge is thought to have been designed by the painter Robert Craig. The figure is a piping shrike — in English, piping shrike — a black and white bird endemic to the country. Its call sounds like a flute, hence the name.

How it has changed

It has changed: it is the third flag of the state.

1. 

   1870-1876

   The first flag of the state was also a Blue Ensign, but it carried a black disc with the Southern Cross and the stars Alpha and Beta Centauri.

2. 

   1876-1904

   A second version was tried with a figure of Britannia arriving at a coast, with a seated Aboriginal and a kangaroo behind. It was withdrawn because it was too similar to the flags of New Zealand and Victoria.

3. 

   1904

   The current flag: the bird on a golden disc, over the Blue Ensign. It is the one still in use.

What it means

• Blue ground

  it is the common base of all the Australian flags that use the British Blue Ensign.

• Union Jack

  the Union Flag, the flag of the United Kingdom. In the Australian flags it does not mark a colony: it is only there out of custom.

• Golden disc

  the place where the badge of the state goes. It is not a coat of arms: it is a round badge.

• Piping shrike

  the official bird of South Australia, and so also on its coat of arms and its badge.

Fun facts

1. A bird that sings like a flute

   The piping shrike is not a shrike: it is a black and white bird that looks like a magpie. Its name comes from the call, which sounds like a flute, hence the English name, piping shrike. On the coat of arms of the state it appears with its wings spread, just as on the flag.

2. Two flags that did not last

   Before the bird there were two designs. One, from 1870, carried a black disc with the Southern Cross and the stars Alpha and Beta Centauri. The other, from 1876, showed Britannia arriving at a coast with an Aboriginal. It was withdrawn because it was too similar to the flags of New Zealand and Victoria.

3. The golden disc, not a coat of arms

   Almost all the Australian flags carry a golden disc with a badge instead of a full coat of arms. South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania use this system; other states, such as Victoria and Queensland, carry no disc but the Southern Cross.

4. The same base as the neighbouring states

   Four of the six Australian states have a flag made the same way: a blue ground and the Union Jack in the corner. They differ only in the golden disc in the centre. They are called Blue Ensigns, and the difference between them is minimal at a distance.