Last year I had the privilege to represent my country on the world stage as part of Team Australia at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. While many people in Japan and Brisbane will be quite familiar with the idea of World Expos, for me it was a brand new experience. Part theme park, part United Nations, it is truly a unique opportunity for the world to come together. Each participating country (as well as several companies and organisations) had their own space to showcase the best of their nation under the broad expo theme of “designing future society for our lives”. This included tourism, health, art, science, space, cutting edge innovation, environment, and a whole range of other themes. The best place to enjoy these pavilions? The top of the Grand Ring – a huge, 12-20 metre high structure that encased most of the expo site, and the largest wooden structure in the world at the time.
I’m biased, of course, but I really think Australia had one of the strongest offerings. Our visitor experience showcased Australia’s incredible nature and indigenous knowledge with an immersive journey through the Australian bush, the southern sky, and our coral reefs and riverways. Not only did we have a fantastic exhibition, but we also had our own stage where we featured great Australian talent and were able to host other nations’ performances as well, particularly for First Nations Week and Pacific Day. We also had a very strong back of house offering, strengthening our business, government, and educational connections through a huge range of events. I also can’t forget to mention our café, a real taste of home, where people could enjoy lamingtons, meat pies, crocodile meat, and proper Australian coffee (the latter being very popular with staff from other pavilions!).
This has been a year I will never forget, and one of my most rewarding experiences to date. I hope that all those who were able to visit will carry their memories of our pavilion and Expo 2025 as fondly as I do. If you weren’t able to make it, there are still a number of ways to enjoy the Expo legacy – including virtual exhibitions for the Italy and France Pavilions, as well as the beautiful 1970 Expo park from the last time Osaka played host. More than anything, Expo is a powerful and positive example of what can be achieved when nations come together, and I feel incredibly lucky to have played a small part in telling Australia’s story in Japan and on the global stage.