Aussie life in Singapore: dawn at Kranji, Wombats on the oval, mates in every lift

Singapore is about as close to home as Asia gets: an eight-hour flight from Sydney, English everywhere and a long, deep Aussie community. Finding your people takes a week, not a year.

The short version

• Australians have been part of Singapore life for generations. Back in 2012 the then Prime Minister put the number at about 20,000, and it's widely thought to have grown since [1].
• ANZA, the Australian and New Zealand Association, has over 7,000 members and runs sport, social groups and the big community events [2].
• The ANZA Wombats have played Aussie rules here since 1993, and the women's Wombettes since 2019 [3].
• The Anzac Day dawn service at Kranji War Cemetery is the community's most important morning of the year [4].
• Join Cooee Singapore, our Facebook group for Australians in Singapore, for everyday questions and meetups.

How big is the Aussie community?

Nobody publishes a neat, current headcount. The most quoted figure is from a 2012 speech by Lee Hsien Loong, who said about 20,000 Australians were living in Singapore [1]. A 2025 Western Independent piece on Australians abroad repeated that figure and suggested it has only grown [1]. We'd rather tell you that honestly than make up a fresh number.

What you'll notice on the ground is that Australians are everywhere: in banks and law firms in the CBD, in tech teams at one-north, teaching at international schools, running cafés, and flying in and out of Changi for the regional job. The community is spread out, so the clubs and groups below do the job a neighbourhood would at home.

The groups worth joining

ANZA describes itself as open to everyone, not only Australians and Kiwis, and has social groups ranging from book clubs and photography to mahjong, wine evenings and a casual coffee for newcomers [2]. If you've just landed and don't know a soul, a newcomer coffee is the easiest first step.

Footy, cricket and other sport

Aussie rules

The Singapore Australian Football Club, better known as the ANZA Wombats, was founded by ten Australians in April 1993 [3]. The men's side has won Asian Championships, including titles in 2005, 2006 and 2011, and the club has toured China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam [3]. The Wombettes joined in 2019 and made the top four at the AFL Asia Championships in their first campaign [3].

One tradition worth knowing: the Wombats play visiting Royal Australian Navy ships each year [3]. It's a hard game to win but a good night afterwards.

Cricket and the rest

ANZA also runs cricket, netball, soccer, cycling, athletics, walking groups and Nippers for kids who miss the surf club [2]. Singapore's heat changes the rhythm: training happens early morning or after dark, and almost everyone learns to love electrolyte drinks.

Watching the big games

Grand Final day and the Boxing Day Test land at sociable times here, since Singapore is only a few hours behind the east coast. Expect packed pubs showing the AFL, NRL and State of Origin, and plenty of debate. Ask in Cooee Singapore which bars are showing which code this season, because venues change.

Anzac Day at Kranji

For many Australians in Singapore, Anzac Day matters more here than it did at home. The link is personal: thousands of Australian servicemen were captured when Singapore fell in 1942, and Kranji War Cemetery in the north of the island holds war graves and memorials from the Second World War.

In 2026, the Australian High Commission ran the dawn service at Kranji War Cemetery, 9 Woodlands Road, starting at 6.30am, with guests in place by 6.15am [4]. Registration wasn't needed, business attire was asked of civilians, and free guided tours ran afterwards [4]. The service goes ahead in light rain but can be postponed or cancelled for heavy rain or lightning [4].

How to make the morning work:

1. Check the High Commission's page in early April. Details are confirmed each year [4].
2. Plan your transport the night before. Kranji is a long way from the city before sunrise. Many people share taxis or ride-hail.
3. Arrive early. Being in place by 6.15am means leaving home well before 5.30am from most suburbs.
4. Bring water and a small umbrella. Even at dawn it's warm, and the weather can turn.
5. Stay for the tour. It adds a lot of context about the Australians who fought here.

A taste of home

Missing Vegemite, Tim Tams or a proper meat pie is a rite of passage. The bigger supermarket chains and the specialist import grocers stock plenty of Australian brands, often at a mark-up. Australian beef, lamb and wine are easy to find but pricey compared with home.

Coffee is one area where you won't suffer. Plenty of Singapore cafés are run by or inspired by Australians and Kiwis, and a flat white is easy to come by in Tiong Bahru, Tanjong Pagar or along East Coast Road. Equally, give local kopi a fair go at the hawker centre. It's sweet, strong and costs a fraction of the price.

Our tip: post "where do I find…?" in Cooee Singapore. Someone will know which shop just got Shapes in.

Practical bits that make life easier

• Save the High Commission's details. 25 Napier Road, phone +65 6836 4100, and the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 [7].
• Know the local rules. Smartraveller flags the gum ban, severe drug laws (including traces from use overseas) and illegal vapes [7]. Don't learn them the hard way.
• Return your tray. At hawker centres it's the law, not just manners [7].
• Think ahead on schooling. The Australian International School offers the NSW HSC as well as IB pathways [6], which helps if you might move home before Year 12.

Finding your crew

Most Australians say the first three months are the hardest. A simple plan:

1. Join Cooee Singapore and introduce yourself.
2. Go to one ANZA newcomers' event in your first month.
3. Pick one sport or social group and turn up three times.
4. Put Anzac Day, Australia Day and Melbourne Cup in the calendar.
5. Say yes to the hawker dinner, even if you're tired.

Sources

1. Great expatations – Western Independent (December 2025)
2. About ANZA – Australian and New Zealand Association Singapore
3. Wombats history – ANZA Singapore
4. ANZAC Day dawn service, Kranji War Cemetery – Australian High Commission Singapore
5. Australian organisations in Singapore – Australian High Commission Singapore
6. Fee structure and curriculum – Australian International School Singapore
7. Singapore travel advice – Smartraveller (DFAT)

Keep reading

• Moving to Singapore from Australia: the complete guide
• Cost of living in Singapore vs Sydney and Melbourne
• Voting from overseas: staying on the roll
• Babies born overseas: Australian citizenship by descent