Aussie life in Beirut: community, footy and home

Australians in Beirut are rarely lonely for long. Ask someone in a cafe in Achrafieh where they grew up, and there's a fair chance the answer is Punchbowl, Coburg or Parramatta.

The short version

DFAT estimates about 15,000 Australians normally live in Lebanon, and several thousand more come for the summer [1].
Most have Lebanese heritage. The 2021 census counted more than 248,000 people in Australia with Lebanese ancestry [1].
Rugby league is the shared obsession. Lebanon's national side, the Cedars, was founded by Lebanese-Australians and is still mostly made up of Australian-based players [3].
Life comes with real constraints: Smartraveller's advice for Lebanon is Do not travel, and power cuts, cash and checkpoints are part of the routine [4].
The Australian Embassy on Serail Hill is your official link home [5].

Who the Aussies in Beirut are

The Australian community in Lebanon is unlike the one in London or Bali. It's not mainly backpackers or people on a two-year work contract. It's families.

Lebanese migration to Australia goes back to the 1870s, and more than 30,000 people came during the civil war between 1975 and 1990 [2]. The 2021 census recorded about 87,000 Lebanese-born people in Australia, most of them in Greater Sydney [2]. Their children and grandchildren are now the Australians you'll meet in Beirut: people who've moved back to look after parents, came for a job, married locally or spend every summer here.

You'll also meet a smaller group without Lebanese roots: aid and NGO workers, diplomats, academics at the universities, and partners of Lebanese-Australians who came along for the ride.

The mix shows up in the language. Conversations slide between Arabic, English and the odd "yeah nah", and plenty of second-generation Aussies find their Arabic improves fast once they're living in it rather than hearing it at Sunday lunch.

The summer surge

DFAT notes the number of Australians in Lebanon rises by several thousand during the Lebanese summer [1]. You'll notice it. Weddings, christenings and family lunches stack up, the beaches and mountain towns fill, and you'll hear Australian accents at the airport and in the shops.

Footy, league and the Cedars

Rugby league

If there's one sport that ties Australia and Lebanon together, it's rugby league. The Lebanon national team, the Cedars, was formed by Lebanese-Australians in 1997 and is still mostly made up of players of Lebanese descent from Australia [3]. Hazem El Masri, the former Bulldogs goal-kicker, is the team's top point-scorer, and Mitchell Moses captains the side. Michael Cheika, the former Wallabies coach, has coached the team since 2020 [3].

The Cedars reached the quarter-finals of the Rugby League World Cup in 2017 and 2021, and qualified for the 2026 tournament [3]. Big Cedars matches are a reason to gather, whether you're in Beirut or Bankstown.

Watching the AFL and NRL

Time zones work in your favour. During the footy season Beirut is about seven hours behind Melbourne and Sydney, so a Friday night game at the MCG lands around lunchtime in Beirut, and an afternoon grand final is on at breakfast.

The catch is access. Australian streaming services are often geo-restricted overseas, so check what your subscription allows before you rely on it. And with power cuts a fact of life [4], make sure your router is on the generator or a battery backup before the first bounce.

Cricket and the rest

Lebanon isn't a cricket country, so the Test summer is a solo or online affair for most. Football (soccer) and basketball have big local followings, so you won't be short of a game to watch.

Missing home, and what doesn't need missing

Lebanese food is one of the great consolations. If you grew up on manoush, tabbouleh and garlic toum in western Sydney, you'll find the real thing everywhere, often cheaper and better.

What's harder to find:

Vegemite and Tim Tams. Pack them or get relatives to bring them. They're small, light and worth more in Beirut than gold.
A decent meat pie. Most Aussies give up and make their own.
A flat white made the way you like it. Ask the group where people go; everyone has a favourite.
The beach as you know it. The Mediterranean is right there, but don't expect Bondi-style open sand and surf clubs. Ask around about where locals swim, and check each spot against the travel advice.

Finding your people

Join a group

Start with Cooee Lebanon, our Facebook group for Australians in Lebanon. Post an introduction, ask where people watch the footy and swap tips on generators, schools and which flights are running.

Use the networks you already have

Family is the main social engine here. Even if you're not Lebanese, your Lebanese-Australian mates in Australia will probably have an aunt, cousin or school friend in Beirut. Ask.

Work and study

Universities, schools, NGOs and international organisations all bring together people from abroad. If you're working in one, the social life usually follows.

The Embassy

The Australian Embassy, in the Embassy Complex on Serail Hill in Downtown Beirut, handles passports and notarial services by appointment [5]. It's also the place to call in an emergency: +961 1 960600, or the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 [5].

Living with the realities

Aussie life in Beirut comes with things you didn't deal with in Australia:

Reality	What it looks like day to day	What people do
Security	Smartraveller says Do not travel, with no-go areas including the south and Dahiyeh [4]	Subscribe to updates, keep a go-bag, know two ways to the airport
Power	Frequent cuts affecting water, phones and internet [4]	Generator subscriptions, battery packs, a UPS for the modem
Cash	ATM limits and fees [4]	Carry US dollars, keep a backup card
Checkpoints	Armed checkpoints on some roads [4]	Always carry ID
Laws	Same-sex relations illegal; tough drug penalties [4]	Read the local laws section before you arrive
Health	Pay up front, no Medicare [4]	Proper insurance, a GP you trust

People who stay happily tend to set up a routine early, lean on family and friends, and keep a plan to leave quickly if it comes to that.

Staying connected to Australia

Vote. If you intend to return within six years, register as an overseas elector so you stay on the roll [6].
Keep your Australian bank account and phone number for two-factor logins and family transfers. Our living-abroad guides cover how.
Make the most of family visits. Aunties and cousins flying in from Sydney are the best supply chain for Vegemite you'll ever have.
Keep an eye on official advice. Smartraveller updates its Lebanon advice when the situation changes [4].

Aussie life in Beirut: where the accent is half Bankstown, half Beirut