(NECN/AuBC/CHANNEL 7) - Australians celebrated their national day on Tuesday in true 'Aussie' style with flag waving, barbecues but also protests. In Sydney, thousands flocked to the city's foreshore to commemorate the First Fleet's arrival in 1788. The celebrations began with an indigenous ceremony in the city's Royal Botanic Gardens. While in Canberra military parades and air force flyovers created a carnival atmosphere. The capital also hosted one of the largest citizenship ceremonies as nearly 17-thousand people across the country were sworn in as new Australians. "You are a welcome addition to our number. You liven us, you enrich us, you expand our imagination, you challenge our complacency, you add to our diversity. You are so much our future," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said at the ceremony in Canberra. Flags and barbecues were the order of the day for many as they soaked up the sun outdoors. Efforts were also made to celebrate the nations diversity, none more so than in Melbourne where thousands lined the footpath as colorfully dressed representatives of the city's many ethnic groups proudly marched through the city center. There was a march of an all together different sort in Canberra however as around 100 protesters marched outside old parliament house to call for greater recognition of indigenous people and their issues. Indigenous elders called for a debate with Rudd on what they refer to as "Sovereign Day". Rudd issued a formal apology to the Aboriginal people and its "stolen generation" shortly after he took office but many in the indigenous community believe his words have not been backed up by actions.