Australian National Flag 1903-1909

Flag Adopted: 20 February 1903
Flag Proportion: 1:2
Use: Civil Ensign and unofficial National Flag on Land

In 1903, the first design change to the original Australian national flags were made.

For civil use, the British Red ensign and six pointed federation star stayed, but the design of the Southern Cross was changed so that all but the smallest star had seven points, ostensibly to improve the ease of manufacture.

The exact date of this change is not known. The earliest known official use was from the belated Gazettal of the Australian flag design on 20 Feb 1903 (the difference from the original design was not noted).

Flag Adopted: 20 February 1903
Flag Proportion: 1:2
Use: Government Flag and Ensign

The design of the Southern Cross on the "official" or Government flag was also changed at the same time.

Historical Flags

- Australia 1788-1801
- Australia 1801-1901
- Australia 1901-1903
- Australia 1903-1909
- Australia 1909-1954

References

- Australian Flags
Department of Administrative Services, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1995.

- Flag of Stars
Frank Cayley, Rigby Ltd, Adelaide, 1966.

- Flags of Australia (chart)
John C Vaughan, Standard Publishing House, Sydney, 1983.

- Flags of the Nations (chart)
Flag Society of Australia, Flag Research Center, and National Australia Bank, Australia, 1992.