Faith and religion in Australia

With its diverse, multicultural population and immigrant history, Australia is a melting pot of religions and faiths. All of the major global faiths are represented in Australia, and many of the lesser-recognised ones as well.

Early religions

Early settlement of Australia brought with it predominantly Christian faiths in the form of Irish Catholics and English Anglicans, with a smaller number of Methodists and a few Jews. Following these early days a wide variety of Christian denominations slowly made their way to Australia with further immigrants arriving and settling in particular areas. Pockets developed so that, for example, Lutherans became common in Queensland and Barossa, and Methodists became numerous in South Australia.

Widespread religious representation

Since the initial colonisation of Australia, further influxes of immigrants have brought large numbers of other religious followers, such as the post WWII surge, which led to increases in Orthodox churches, Catholics (Italians) and Jews. In more recent times migration from Asia and the Middle East has brought with it Buddhists and Muslims. It is now common for most of the major centres in Australia to have representations from all the most widespread religions.

Catholicism

It is estimated that there are currently around 5.1 million Catholics in Australia (26% of the population) making it the largest represented faith in the country. There are 32 dioceses, each headed by a Bishop. The official Catholic website for Australia at has a full directory of churches and parishes, as well as listings for events and news.

Anglicanism

Today Anglicanism is common all over Australia and is the second largest church in the country. Dating back to the first shipment of convicts, presided over by the Reverend Richard Johnson, the Anglican faith has a long history with the people of Australia. The official Anglican website provides a great deal of information about the Anglican presence in Australia.

Judaism

With Australia's current immigration policies attracting more and more South Africans, the Jewish faith is continuously growing. Arriving on the First Fleet back in 1788, the original hub of Jewish life in Australia was Sydney; however, it is now estimated that there are 60,000 Jews living in Melbourne and around 45,000 in Sydney.

The Jewish Museum of Australia is found in St Kilda, Melbourne, as are a number of synagogues, both Orthodox and liberal. The Jewish Australia website describes itself as 'the gateway to all that is Jewish in Australia'.

Buddhism

Buddhists have been recorded as living in Australia since 1848 when the gold rush brought Chinese hopefuls to the country’s shores; however, these prospects didn't stay and Buddhism wasn't represented in any great numbers until as late as the 1970s. Today it is Australia's single fastest growing faith, and Australia is home to the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere, The Nan Tien, near Sydney. Buddhism Australia has directories of temples and organisations across Australia.

Islam

Muslims arrived in Australia in the form of Afghani camel riders, brought over to help in the exploration of the country's inhospitable interior during the 1860s. However, due to the 'White Australia Policy of the early 20th Century’, their migration in significant numbers wasn't welcomed until after WWII when there was an influx of Turks. Nowadays there are over 350,000 Muslims from over 60 countries living around Australia. Muslim Village has detailed directories of Mosques, organisations, Halal butchers and more.