Portuguese Australian

Portuguese Australian

Portuguese Australians are either Portuguese emigrated to or living in Australia, or native Australians with Portuguese ancestry.

Despite their rather modest number compared to the Greek and Italian communities, Portuguese Australians form a very organised, self-conscious and active community in many fields of Australian life. With a population spread over many parts of the continent, sporting teams, social clubs, radio shows, newspapers, outdoor cultural festivals, culinary feasts, and even a traditional ethnic neighbourhood, the ever-growing Portuguese Australians form roughly 0.4 of Australia's population. The biggest Portuguese Australian community is in Petersham, Sydney: but there are other communities around Australia such as Melbourne, Wollongong, Newcastle and Perth. There are also communities present, to a lesser extent, in Brisbane, Adelaide and Darwin. There are approximately 56,000 Portuguese migrants and Australians with Portuguese heritage in Australia.

Portuguese cuisine has also made its way into mainstream Australian society, with the fast expansion and establishment of restaurant and fast food outlets such as "Nando's", "Oporto" and "Ogalo" to confirm its success. The Portuguese "pastel de nata" is a very popular delicacy in Australia and is commonly found through the country.

One of the most high-visibility moments for the Portuguese community was in 2005, when António Milhinhos, a shopkeeper from Darwin, was awarded the Senior Australian of the Year Award for his outstanding charity works and continuous catastrophe relief since 1983.