It's a controversial date in Australia, but for many Down Under, Australia Day, which falls on January 26 every year, is the perfect excuse for a few beers and a barbecue.

Marking the day in 1788, when British settlers arrived on Australian shores for the first time and Captain Arthur Phillip raised the Union Jack at Sydney Cove, the celebration has been part of the national calendar since 1935, and a public holiday since 1994. For millions it's an opportunity to celebrate national pride, either by going to an organised event in their community or by meeting up with family and friends on the holiday.

But why did the British decide to travel to Australia and how did British explorer Captain Matthew Flinders give the country its name? Here's everything you need to know, including how controversy surrounding Australia Day has grown in recent years.

The arrival of the First Fleet

On 13 May 1787, 11 ships set sail from England under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip. Until recently, British convicts had been sent to the Thirteen Colonies on the east coast of North America. But following the American War of Independence, the newly created United States of America refused to take criminals from the United Kingdom.

And so, in 1785, plans were put in place for convicts to be sent to the land claimed by British explorer James Cook five years earlier: New South Wales in Australia. Philips was tasked with setting up a the first penal colonies on this new land, with Botany Bay the destination and site in mind.