If you’re hosting an Australia Day party but are worried you’ll forget something, don’t get your budgie-smugglers in a knot!
We’ve created a fair dinkum checklist for all your last minute purchases and preparation ideas before the shops are closed and people are over!
Whilst there is no wrong way to celebrate January 26, here are our Top 10 Australia Day Essentials guaranteed to give your guests a true blue Aussie celebration to remember.
1. A Backyard Barbecue
A backyard barbecue is the perfect way to enjoy great Australian snags, prawns, lamb and other favourites. Here is our barbecue preparation checklist:
Clean the barbecue the night before so you can get straight into cooking on the day
Check the gas bottle to ensure you have enough
Aluminium meat trays for cooking and serving
Cooking spray
Tongs
2. Australian Grub
Take the hassle out of planning your menu with our favourite Australia Day food you can add to your shopping list:
Mini sausage rolls and meat pies
Fresh prawns and seafood dip
Australian barbecue meats – snags, lamb, chicken kebabs
Bread and onions (for snags on bread)
Tomato and barbecue sauce
Australian cheese platter
Potato salads and salads
Lamingtons
Vegemite scrolls
Mini Pavlovas
3. Drinks, drinks, drinks!
Drinks are a must! A great way to keep things simple and affordable is to ask guests to bring their own drinks (BYO). Also, organising a jug or punch bowl of something delicious and boozy will never go astray around Australia Day.
4. Esky and ice
A couple of eskies and ice are absolute essentials for a hot Australia Day. Keep your drinks cool and guests hydrated by organising eskies and ice for easy access on the day. It’s a good idea to try and arrange a guest to bring over a couple of bags of ice they can pick up on the way over. Fill up any ice cube trays in the freezer as well for back up.
5. Sun protection
Protection from the sun and its’ pesky UV rays is essential for all guests, especially if you will be spending the majority of the day outside. Here’s our checklist for sun protection and outdoor wear essentials:
Hat
Sunscreen SPF 30+
Sunglasses with UV protection
Thongs
Beach towel
Loose fitting, cool clothing
6. Backyard cricket
A great Australia Day tradition is to have a few games of backyard cricket. Depending on the size of your yard, backyard cricket can be a fun activity for everyone to get involved in, even if some people haven’t played before.
If you’ve got a cricket set at home already, great! If not, grab a cheap plastic cricket set from your local department store, or improvise and use large sticks for stumps, a tennis ball and a bat.
7. Slip n slide
No pool? No worries! Create a slip in slide for some water fun in your backyard. Or, grab a cheap blow up pool and position an esky close by for easy access to drinks whilst you cool off.
But if you do have a pool, you’re guests will love you. Nothing beats a dip in the pool or at the beach on a hot Australia Day.
8. Decorations and costumes
Celebrate loud and proud by organising some simple Australia Day decorations or themed costumes. Don’t be afraid ask your guests to dress up as well for the ultimate festive feel. Some decoration ideas are listed below:
Australian Flag
Bunting flags
Serviettes
Cups & plates
Novelty sunnies
Blow up pool toys
9. Cheer on the sport!
Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi Oi Oi! Australians are known for their love of sport, so what better way to celebrate Australia Day than to cool off from being out in the sun and watch some sports on the telly. The following sports are being aired on Australia Day:
Cricket – 5th ODI series
Australia vs Pakistan, 1:20pm (AEST)
Tennis – Australian Open
Semi Final – C. Vandeweghe vs V. Williams, 10.30am (AWST)
Semi Final – R. Federer vs S. Wawrinka, 4.30pm (AWST)
Soccer – A League
Melbourne Victory vs Sydney, 6.50pm, (AEDT)
10. Triple J’s Hottest 100
And finally, it ain’t an Australia Day party without listening and singing along to Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown as the sun sets. Organising music speakers the night before is a good idea so you have time to charge battery powered portable speakers overnight.
Enjoy your celebrations!