White, gold and blue

The City of Sydney's flag is flown from Town Hall. Its design incorporates features from the City's coat of arms.

The flag is a horizontal triband of three colours - white, gold and blue. The top third features three designs. In the top left the arms belong to Thomas Townshend, Viscount Sydney (pictured right) after whom the City was named.

The English Naval Flag in the centre acknowledges the role Arthur Philip played in Sydney's foundation.

The red cross is overlaid with a globe and two stars - the principal features of James Cook's Arms, which were granted as a posthumous honour for his service in mapping Australia.

The arms in the top right belong to the first Lord Mayor of Sydney, Thomas Hughes. It was during his term of office that the title of Mayor became Lord Mayor, and the official coat of arms for the city was granted.

The remaining field of the flag features a ship under full sail, an allusion to the prominence of Sydney as a maritime port.