“I expected something else”

Abstract

This article investigates German interactions with Australia both as an abstract space and as a concrete place. Germans have a long history of migration to Australia, which continues through to the present. For the most recent migrants, their relationship with and knowledge of Australia began long before their arrival in the country, often through new media such as the Internet. These Germans built up a set of assumptions about their destination that sometimes was in stark contrast with what they encountered upon arrival. Their abstract knowledge found its way into concrete interactions with the new surroundings. The resulting settlement patterns of Germans in Melbourne correspond to shifts in migration patterns in their contrast between Assisted Passage and more recent migration. Despite the relatively wide distribution of German-born residents of Melbourne, awareness of fellow Germans and engagement in networks continues.