Why Australia?

Australia

Australia's biggest attraction is its natural beauty. The landscape varies from endless sun baked horizons to dense tropical rainforest to chilly southern beaches. Scattered along the coasts, its cities blend a European enthusiasm for art and food with a laid-back love for sport and the outdoors.

Visitors expecting to see an opera in Sydney one night and meet Crocodile Dundee the next will have to re-think their grasp of geography in this huge country. It is this sheer vastness that gives Australia - and its diverse population - much of its character.

Weather

People often ask what the weather is like in Australia? The answer is that it varies a lot! The same for the rainfall. Typically the northern parts of Australia are warm to hot all of the year. In the north, the summer is also the rainy season.

The coastal areas around Sydney are mild in the winter with minimum temperatures often staying above 50 to 60 degrees F. The summers are warmer and are typically in the 80 degree F range. One should be warned that there are some instances where Australia may become very cold during the winter. Especially in Tasmania and the Victoria, snow may be abundant and temperatures are below freezing. In fact many people do not know that there are ski resorts in the mountains of Australia.

Diversity

Australia's culturally diverse society includes its Indigenous peoples and settlers from countries all around the world.

Immigration is an important feature of Australian society. Since 1945, over six million people from 200 countries have come to Australia as new settlers. Migrants have made a major contribution to shaping modern Australia. People born overseas make up almost one quarter of the total population.

The federal government sets immigration intake numbers on a yearly basis. Australia's immigration policies are non-discriminatory and all applicants to migrate must meet the same selection criteria.