From chart-topping pop stars to celebrity chefs, Australia has a habit of capturing hearts. Find out which famous faces have gone all-in on life Down Under.
Australia has long had a magnetic pull on international visitors – its climate, culture and quality of life combining into something that’s hard to leave behind.
Here’s what some of the biggest names in entertainment have done about it, from multi-million-dollar purchases to retirement plans that never quite happened.
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Contents
- Pink: Australia’s most loyal international fan
- George Michael: the Palm Beach legacy
- Rita Ora: three years in Sydney, but then went elsewhere
- Gordon Ramsay: retirement in Australia? Don’t hold your breath
- Brian McFadden: Sydney was home, but he has since moved on
- Nicole Kidman: the Australian who always comes home
- What does all of this tell us?
Pink: Australia’s most loyal international fan
No international artist has demonstrated more commitment to Australia than Pink. Across six tours since 2004, she has sold over 3.1 million tickets – more than any other overseas performer in the region. Her 2024 Summer Carnival Tour added nearly one million of those, becoming the biggest-selling tour by a female artist in Australian and New Zealand history.
Her affection goes well beyond ticket sales. During the catastrophic 2019–20 bushfires, she donated US$500,000 to Australian fire services, saying the country is “my second home – that was a no-brainer.” She’s told audiences it feels like “a nice warm hug” and has stated multiple times it’s her favourite place on earth.
Despite years of speculation about property purchases – including reported interest in homes on Sydney’s Northern Beaches – no confirmed Australian buy has ever materialised. Pink’s known properties remain in California. For now, she’s the world’s most devoted visitor rather than a homeowner, with a new world tour in 2026–27 will likely bring her back.
George Michael: the Palm Beach legacy
George Michael’s love of Australia began in earnest during his 2010 tour – his last-ever concerts Down Under. He extended his stay for months and purchased a cliff-front property at Whale Beach Road, Palm Beach on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. The five-bedroom, architect-designed home sits between Whale Beach and Palm Beach with 180-degree ocean views and an infinity pool.
After his death on Christmas Day 2016, the property became a celebrated luxury rental before being listed in February 2023 with a guide price of $15 million AUD. It sold within 37 days for $13.5 million AUD, smashing the previous Palm Beach oceanfront record. A fitting final chapter for a property that locals had simply called “George Michael’s house” for over a decade.
Rita Ora: three years in Sydney, but then went elsewhere
Rita Ora’s Australian connection is stronger than many realise. She served as a coach on The Voice Australia for three consecutive seasons (2021–2023) and it was in Sydney that she met her now-husband, New Zealand director Taika Waititi, while he was filming Thor: Love and Thunder.
During those years, Ora rented a series of luxury Sydney homes and publicly said she was “definitely looking to stay here longer and buy a property.” In the end, she decided on Auckland rather than Sydney – the couple bought a multi-million-pound mansion in New Zealand in 2023. She retains a home in London and continues to tour Australia regularly, with dates planned for 2026.
Gordon Ramsay: retirement in Australia? Don’t hold your breath
Back in 2008, Ramsay revealed to The Sun that he planned to retire to Australia within ten years. That deadline came and went without incident. By 2022 he was telling interviewers he had absolutely no plans to stop, and he remains one of the busiest chefs on the planet.
That said, his relationship with Australia has only grown. He has made multiple guest appearances on MasterChef Australia, hosted his own series Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars Australia on Channel 9 in 2024, and brought his three-Michelin-starred restaurant to Sydney’s Aria for a sold-out pop-up in 2023. He told 9Now: “I’ve been a secret admirer of Australia for decades.” Retired? Not quite. Smitten? Absolutely.
Brian McFadden: Sydney was home, but he has since moved on
Westlife’s Brian McFadden spent several years in Australia, initially because of his relationship with singer Delta Goodrem and then kept there by a judging role on Australia’s Got Talent from 2010 to 2012. His solo single “Just Say So” reached number one on the ARIA chart during this period.
He hasn’t lived in Australia since around 2013. McFadden now lives in Rochdale, Manchester with his wife Danielle Parkinson, whom he married in July 2025. He does return – his duo Boyzlife toured Australia in April 2025 – but as a visitor rather than a resident. His Sydney chapter is firmly a fond memory rather than a current address.
Nicole Kidman: the Australian who always comes home
Of all the names on this list, Nicole Kidman has the deepest and most enduring connection to Australia. She has described herself plainly: “My heart is in Australia. I’m an Aussie. It’s what I am.”
Until recently, she and Keith Urban shared two significant Australian assets: a 111-acre cattle farm in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, purchased for AU$6.5 million in 2008, and an impressive collection of apartments in Sydney’s Milsons Point, built up over years of individual purchases. Their divorce was finalised in January 2026 after 19 years of marriage.
Under the settlement, Kidman retains the farm and the majority of the Sydney apartments – though she sold one in May 2025 for AU$8.5 million. Her primary home remains in Nashville, but she spent Christmas 2025 in Sydney with her daughters and continues to return regularly. Australia’s ties to her are evidently not something a divorce settlement can dissolve.
What does all of this tell us?
Australia’s appeal to the world’s most successful people is not a coincidence. The combination of extraordinary coastline, genuine warmth and a culture that values substance over status makes it uniquely compelling – even for people who could live anywhere.
If some of the world’s biggest stars keep getting pulled back to Australia’s shores, perhaps it’s worth asking what you’re missing.
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