The earliest known Greek Cypriot migrants arrived in Australia in the 1850s, attracted by the gold rushes. They settled in the goldfield townships of Ballarat and Daylesford in Victoria.
Following the ceding of Cyprus by the Ottoman Empire to the United Kingdom in 1878, more Cypriots arrived, mostly as crewmen in British ships. By the 1890s, Greek Cypriot shopkeepers had established businesses in Melbourne and Sydney. The Australian Census of 1933 recorded 500 Cyprus-born people, all of them Greek Cypriots.
Cypriots in Australia are the second-largest community outside Cyprus. They are found throughout the country, with a presence in all state capitals.
Resident Australian population born in Cyprus (2016 census) – 16,936
Australian residents of Cypriot descent (2016 census) – 19,146
TEAM CYPRUS
Have you ever wanted to pull on your national jumper and represent your country?
Playing Footy 9s gives you an opportunity to do just that! It’s a fun and exciting new sport, with both full contact (tackling) and non-contact (no tackling) options to choose from.
If you are of Cypriot descent and keen to represent Cyprus, please join the Team Cyprus Facebook group.
AFL PLAYERS
Andrew Demetriou | Jimmy Toumpas
