About Australia:

Australia is both continent and country: at about 3 million square miles (7.7 million square km), it is the smallest continent on Earth, but one of the largest countries in terms of size, with a significant Catholic minority. Since it was established as a penal colony, it is not a surprise that majority of the first Catholics here were prisoners, primarily of Irish descent.

Today in 2024, according to the Catholic Bishop’s Conference, Catholics number 5,439,268 out of a total population of 21,507,719, or 25.3%. That is an increase of 6% since 2006. Almost a quarter of those were born elsewhere, which means there is a great diversity of cultures within the Church.

Sydney Australia hosted World Youth Day in 2008, with about 500,000 young people from 200 countries attending during the week, and more than 1,000,000 for the weekend. They were joined by about 600 bishops and cardinals, as well as by 6,600 reporters. It was the first World Youth Day held in Australia and the first World Youth Day in Oceania.

In addition to Roman Rite parishes, there are also some Anglican Rite parishes under The Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross.

Major Catholic places of interest in Australia:

New South Wales

     Sydney: Cathedral the Mary MacKillop House: St Mary’s CathedralCathedral

Northern Territory

     Darwin: Saint Mary’s Star of the Sea Cathedral and The Madonna of the Aborigines

Western Australia

    New Norcia: New Norcia Benedictine Community

Traveling to Australia:

Most travelers go to Australia by flying into major international airports, such as Sydney (SYD), Melbourne (MEL), Brisbane (BNE), and Perth (PER). Due to the country’s remote location, air travel is the primary method for international arrivals, followed by cruise ships. An Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) is typically required for entry.

Note about the weather: Australis is in the sourhern hemisphere, which means that winter is June through August, bringing cold, crisp, and sometimes snowy weather to the southern states. Summer in Australia occurs during the months of December, January, and February. This period features hot, sunny, and warm weather, making it the peak season for beaches, particularly in southern parts. Average summer temperatures in major capital cities range from 68 t0 99 F.

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