Bilateral cultural relations

Even the ships of the "First Fleet", with which Europeans came to Australia in 1788, had people of German descent on board. Early in the 19th century German immigrants form the Rheingau brought viniculture to the young colony of New South Wales. 1838 a group of Old Lutherans from Prussia were the first non-British immigrants to settle in a united association.

Prominent representatives of the German immigrants in Australia were Ferdinand von Müller, a botanist, who is considered the most important Australian scientist in the 19th century, and the painter Hans Heysen. Unforgotten is also the German Scientist Ludwig Leichhardt, who explored the centre of the continent, crossing Australia from the Darlind Downs to Port Essington in 1844, he disappeared during his attempt to cross Australia from Brisbane to Perth in 1848.

After World War II approximately 4.5 mio immigrants turned Australia into a multi-cultural nation with people from 140 different countries of origin. The German culture maintained its place in cultural life. The German language is being taught at many schools country-wide. Apart from that Saturday schools in various cities in Australian enable children and adults to learn German in their neighbourhood.

The German International School in Sydney leads up tothe International Baccalaureat. Both Goethe Institutes in Sydney and Melbourne offer an extensive and wide-ranging programme with which they contribute to the introduction of new social and cultural developments in Germany to the Australian audience.

The co-operation of German and Australian colleges and universities is intensive and has by now led to more than 100 partnerships. Since Julyr 2003 the DAAD has been operating an Information and advisory Centre (IBZ) in Sydney. At present more than 400 former scholarship holders of the Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation work at scientific institutions in Australia. There is a close co-operation between the Australian Vice Chancellors' Committee and the German Rectors' Conference. The "Group of 8" Australian Universities has opened an "Australia Centre Europe" in Berlin in October 2004.