Australia is a vast country, but most of the population live along the coast in the east and the south-west.

Australia is multi-cultural, and while the majority of Australians descend from British or Irish roots, people move to Australia as a 'land of opportunity' from all over Europe and Asia. There are 350,000 Australian Aborigines who have the longest continuous cultural history in the world. Aborigines have 111 languages and although English is the official language, 19% of the population don't speak it as their first language.

In 2006 race riots demonstrated an underlying tension between white nationals and the immigrant Asian population.

At the moment the head of state in Australia is the British Queen, but there is a growing number of Australians who would like to be part of a fully independent Australia.

Australia is the surf capital of the world. Pray for God to move in the surfing community and for Christian Surfers International who are having a massive impact among surfers in Australia.

For most people the standard of living in Australia is high and their culture can be very laid back and focused on making money and making yourself happy. More and more Australians claim to be of 'no religion'. The church needs to understand this 'post-modern' society in Australia and reach out to generations who increasingly see God as irrelevant.

The Australian Aborigines have been oppressed by Western culture for over 200 years. Some are Christians but there is still a need for reconciliation between black and white Australians. Pray for organisations reaching out to these people and that they can express their Christian faith without losing their cultural identity.

Pray for those in Australia who have had less opportunity to hear about God: the Muslim communities, those in isolated rural areas and immigrants. Pray for effective communication, especially where many do not speak English as a first language.