By Marc Cassone

Bust out the Vegemite and crack open a Coopers: It’s Australia Day!

From Darwin to Melbourne, Australians are celebrating their national holiday today with fireworks, parades, “barbies” (BBQ), and of course plenty of beer. But no Fosters- you’d be more likely to see the more popular Cooper’s or provincial beers like Queensland’s XXXX, Victoria’s VB, or Toohey’s in New South Wales.

This year’s Australia Day recognizes the 214^th anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788 and the proclamation of Australia as part of the British Empire. Lead by Captain Arthur Phillip, this fleet of 11 ships and just over a thousand British citizens was sent to establish the first European colony on the continent that had recently been discovered during the famous voyage of Captain Cook. Think the Mayflower meets 4^th of July.

The celebrations began last night in the capital, Canberra, with the announcement of this year’s Australian of the Year by the Prime Minister and Governor General. Past winners have included politicians, activists, artists, athletes, and scientists. Yesterday, academy-award winning actor and producer Geoffrey Rush (think Captain Barbossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean films) was bestowed the honor and will be leading today’s festivities.

For all the Aussie Expats and Down Under-aficionados in NYC there are several bars that are hosting several Australia Day events tonight:

The Australian: live music and drink specials. 20 West 38 Street.

Bondi Road: Genuine Aussie BBQ and drink specials. 153 Rivington St. 212 253 5311.

Sun Burnt Calf: Aussie BBQ and drink specials. 226 79th Street. 646 823 9255.

Eight Mile Creek: Happy Hour and food specials. 240 Mulberry Street. 212 431 4635.

While the details are still being worked out, there’s one thing we can say for sure about NY Trav Fest: It’s about an exchange of ideas.

If you have anything deeper about the experience of travel that you’d like to share, tweet us, mention us on Google+, or post onto our Facebook page. We’ll do our best to share it with the internet travel community.

Looking to write a guest post? We’d love it. E-mail roni@nytravfest.com to discuss.

In 2013.