Expat in Australia? Here Are 36 Online Groups To Help Get You Settled
The great weather, cosmopolitan cities, incredible outdoor life and friendly people have made Australia a popular destination for expatriates of every stripe. Some are long-term expats, working in Oz and raising a family. Others might be just passing through as students or backpackers, but everyone is far from home. When abroad, it’s always nice to find a group of like-minded individuals who will answer your questions, invite you to a local meetup and generally become your home-away-from-home. We’ve compiled a list of 36 groups for expats in Australia from all over the world. Whether you’re Irish, British, German, Italian, Swedish, French, South African or hail from the USA, you’re sure to find one that’s a comfortable fit.Expat Groups in Adelaide
Expats in Adelaide
This private Facebook group is for expats living in Adelaide. The goal is for people new to South Australia to meet others who’ve been there a while. People from all over the world make up the membership, and Aussies are welcome to join, as well, whether or not they’re new to the area. There are more than 1,000 members, ranging in age from 20 to over 50, with some who’ve been in Adelaide as long as two decades.Expat Groups in Queensland
Expats on the Gold Coast
This Facebook group, Expats on the Gold Coast, is closed to members only. Membership currently stands at just more than 1,000. The group description is straightforward: It’s for “those that live here and those that are moving here; a group site for meetups, info, help and anything else you want to talk about.”Irish Australian Support Association QLD
The Irish Australian Support Association Qld Inc. is a non-profit organization that supports the Irish community in Brisbane and around Queensland in a variety of ways. Partly funded by the Government of Ireland’s Emigrant Support Programme, any Irish or Irish-Australian person can turn to IASAQ in time times of need or distress. Whether you need information on settling in advice about schools, a heads-up on playgroups and activities, or just wish to join other Irish expats, Irish Families in Brisbane is a small but active group to join.Irish on the Gold Coast
With a membership of nearly 700, the Irish on the Gold Coast Facebook group is family friendly and specifically for Irish people who would like advice or wish to discuss issues with relocating or settling in on the Gold Coast. When you are added to the group, let everyone know where on the Gold Coast you’re situated — you might have an Irish neighbour! And don’t forget – if you are already using CurrencyFair, by referring any of new expat friends to our service means you get rewarded too.Kiwis in Brisbane
The founders of Kiwis in Brisbane, Melissa and Darren Lowndes, started the group eight years ago to connect with other Kiwis and make new friends. The membership today is going strong at more than 11,500 expats, many telling similar stories of getting settled in Australia and, as Melissa and Darren write, finding a “little bit of Aotearoa in Brisbane.”
Expat Groups in Melbourne
Kiwis in Melbourne
Join this closed Facebook group, and you’ll have 6,000-plus friends. People who say stuff like “Nau mai, Haere mai.” Kiwis in Melbourne is also known as KIM, and you’re welcome to “have your say, post your panui, meet new whanau and friends.” Members can find and are encouraged to post New Zealand-related events, look for Kiwi flatmates, find Kiwi food and drink, and generally say gidday.Melbourne British Expats Meetup Group
This is an active bunch of 1,200 Brits in Melbourne who’ve been getting together since 2008. They’ve had a couple hundred past meetups, and several upcoming (how does Friday night drinks at Ponyfish Island grab you?). In order to join the Melbourne British Expats Meetup Group, there are certain requirements set out on the homepage: You must be a Brit living in Melbourne and “crave the British sense of humour, pickled onion Monster Munch and a pint of Speckled Hen.” If you also fancy bar crawls and paintballing or perhaps lawn bowls and fancy dress, you should fit right in. There are less requirements to joining CurrencyFair when you need to convert your Pounds to Australian Dollars – just a desire for amazing rates and fair fees.Melbourne Irish Brekkie Meetup Club
If you’re Irish in Melbourne, you’re in. It doesn’t matter whether you’re on a working visa or have made a more long-term arrangement, this club attempts breakfast once a month and holds other meetups, including many with pubs and music involved. As it says on the Melbourne Irish Brekkie Meetup Club site: “It’s a chance to catch up, meet other Irish and have some craic, sharing stories about living here and, of course, stories about home.”Melbourne Welsh | Cymry Melbourne
Just a few years old, this Facebook group now has some 700 members, and states that it’s a home from home community for all the Welshies in Melbourne and Victoria. More than a rugby-watching club, the growing and social Melbourne Welsh group holds events and gives great advice on visa applications and extensions.Expat Groups in Perth
French in Perth
This is a group for French-speaking expats working and living in Perth. Whether you want to plan road trips, or find roommates or parties and concerts in the area, this French in Perth Facebook group has it all. You can sometimes find job and apartment postings, as well as furniture for sale, and you can post your own sales, too.Irish Families in Perth
Known as IFIP, this group of nearly 10,000 members is a non-profit organisation funded by the Irish government. Its aim is to provide Irish emigrants with advice on successfully assimilating into the culture and lifestyle of Western Australia. You can get help with issues such as relocation, settling in and visas, and you can join for social events. You’ll have to go to their sister Facebook page to buy or sell items: Irish Buy and Sell in Perth.Irish Living in Perth
Whether you’re already living in Perth or you’ve always really wanted to, if you’re Irish, you’re welcome to join the Irish Living in Perth community on Facebook. The 3,800-plus members use the page to talk about everything as well as to socialise and help grow the community. It’s active, with members posting about articles for sale, houses for rent and places to meet at the weekend.ItalWA
The Facebook community of Italians and Italo-Australians living in Western Australia is known at ItalWA, and it is more than 2,600 members strong. The aim of ItalWA is to help others with their relocation and spread Italian culture. They do this by organizing Italian language classes, folk and traditional dance classes and workshops, cooking lessons, wine tastings, meetups, and themed parties.Officielle Français à Perth
This Facebook group is for French-speaking expatriates living in Perth and is written in French. In fact, before you join the 4,500 member-strong community, you need to read the charter (in French) and agree to abide by the terms therein. If you don’t, you can be banned from the group and even subject to lawsuits, which is, of course très sérieux. While most of the charter seems to be about safeguarding member privacy, keeping it family-friendly and so on, one of the rules is that links to personal websites and blogs are not allowed, as they do not contribute to the support of the French community of Perth.Perth Welsh Group
A relatively small community of about 800 members, the Perth Welsh Group, or “Cymry Perth,” is for any Welsh people living in Perth and Western Australia. They’re invited to join the group to meet friends and fellow expats from their homeland. Feel free to share stories and have a laugh about “Living the Dream.” You can even have a Welsh moan if you feel the need.Positive Poms in Perth
This Facebook group is where British expats in Perth can get positive help and advice. There are about 2,200 members, with new expats joining Positive Poms in Perth each week.
Expat Groups in Sydney
Svenskar i Sydney
A Facebook group of nearly 9,000 members, Swedes in Sydney welcomes all Swedish students, au pairs, backpackers, tourists and residents of the area. If you can read and write in Swedish, you’re also welcome to join their topic-specific sister groups, which include:- Svenskar i Sydney – Socialt, the social forum for party invitations and social networking;
- Svenskar i Sydney – Boende, the forum for housing ads.
Sydney Americans
This Meetup group for American expatriates in Sydney calls itself a fun group of young professionals, between the ages of 25 and 35ish, who have been working and living in Sydney for up to four years. While most are expats on working visas, some are on working holidays and others have permanent residence status. They’ve got events planned every few weeks to celebrate all things American, such as college football and talking US politics to others who actually understand either of those things. Friend them on Facebook to get all the updates, and check out their American Families in Sydney group for family events.Sydney British Expats
Launched in 2007, the Sydney British Expats Meetup Group of nearly 1,500 members is not limited to British expatriates. Anyone with an interest in Great Britain and its culture is welcome to join. The last two meetups were a pub crawl and mid-week drinks, each attended by about 40 group members.Sydney ESL Meetup
Meeting for a drink at the rooftop bar of the Metropolitan hotel on Bridge Street for an evening of chat and socialising seems a pretty good way to practice your English. That’s how the more than 7,000 members of Sydney ESL Meetup roll, unless they’re taking in a migration seminar (great for international students, temporary migrants, families with relatives overseas and business owners who want to sponsor skilled workers from abroad) or heading over to The Pontoon Bar at Cockle Bay Wharf for an International Friends social night.The Sydney Expat Club
The goal of The Sydney Expat Club is to bring cosmopolitan expatriates and locals together to socialise and connect. Members attend exclusive parties and enjoy fine dining and unique events. Take a look at the group’s Meetup page to see past events that the nearly 3,000 members typically enjoy, including a “Young Professionals Ball” and an “International Social.”Sydney Irish Brekkie Club
Team Brekkie, as these Brekkie Clubbers likes to call themselves, is a social network for Irish folk in Sydney and their Aussie friends. Its primary purpose is to provide an opportunity for Sydney-integrated Irish to “get their fix of Barry’s” as well as have a chat with fellow expats — wherever in the world they’re from. While most of this club’s members are Irish-born, anyone is welcome, especially if they like copious cups of tea, don’t need subtitles to understand and are familiar with craic.
