Australophile

An Australophile (or Ozophile) is someone with an appreciation or love of Australia, which may include its history, geography, language (especially Australian English), culture and popular media. While Australians may be classified as Australophiles because of nationalism or patriotism, non-Australians may also self-identify or be considered as Australophiles. The rise of Australophilia can be linked to the emergence of Australian films and tourism campaigns in the United States throughout the 1980s.

The antonym for an Australophile is an Australophobe.

Historical overview

Australophilia (or Australomania) did not exist in any documented form before 1901, as Australia was colonised in 1788 and became a federation in 1901. Its shorter national history is one reason that Australophilia is newer and less developed when compared to other national philias, such as Anglophilia and Francophilia. Other reasons may include Australia's reliance on the United Kingdom's cultural identity, the Americanisation of Australian popular media before the 1950s, and the pressures of globalisation on Australian media.

The rise of Australophilia in the international community during the 1980s was preceded by Australia's attempts to establish a recognisably Australian national identity, rather than one which relied on the United Kingdom or the United States. Initiatives like the Australian Made campaign and the Fraser government's 1979 Advance Australia campaign allowed Australia to market its assets, like its native fauna and geography, on a global scale. Australia's national identity became recognisably more Australian by the 1980s, but competing mythoi like the natural rural outback and man-made urban beaches caused misconceptions to arise in the Australian national identity.