This is Australia in 2016: it is home to the world's oldest continuous culture. One in two Australians have parents born overseas; one in four were born outside the country. There are 236 nationalities represented in Australia. And they identify with more than 270 ancestries. Australia is made up of 23.5 million people. Here are 58 of them.

Ken, 63, born in Australia, from the Bidjara nation.

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"What I love about Australia is my people - the First Nations people. I love the sacredness of our Mother Earth. And I love the culture of our people."

Colette, 58, born in Australia with Chinese heritage.

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Katherine, 32, born in Australia from the Muriwai and Yuggera nation.

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Nick, 51, born in Australia with Greek heritage.

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Colin, 40, born in Australia, from the Gomeroi nation.

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Mohammad, 25, born in Afghanistan.

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"You can do anything in Australia. You have freedom. You can go anywhere. It is very peaceful here. Especially for people coming from the Middle East, that’s all they want - a peaceful life."

Francisco, 32, born in Argentina.

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Maira, 29, born in Brazil.

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Thiago, 28, born in Brazil.

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Faith, 18, born in Canada.

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Ginny, 40, born in the People's Republic of China.

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Mark, 27, born in England.

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"The people here are all so laid-back and friendly. I came here by myself, I was 18 then. And my friends would invite me to their place for a bbq. Everyone was just so lovely."

Mark, 43, born in England with Jamaican heritage.

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Shaek, 19, born in Fiji.

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Stephane, 30, born in France.

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Amira, 18, born in Germany.

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Michael, 29, born in Hong Kong.

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"I came to Australia because it’s the land of opportunity. It allowed my parents to provide us with a better future."

Andre, 26, born in India.

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Niva, 18, born in India.

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"Australia has a very broad community. It’s so different from when I lived in India and Dubai. It was really classist over there. Unlike here, it’s very mixed."

Putu, 21, born in Indonesia with Balinese heritage.

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Shahrzad, 31, born in Iran.

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Michael, 25, born in Iraq.

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Offer, 52, born in Israel.

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"I met a girl here. We were even married for six months. It didn’t last, but there were plenty other reasons for me to stay. Australia just has a lot to offer."

Jay, 33, born in Italy.

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Ai, 37, born in Japan.

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Said, 94, born in Lebanon with Syrian heritage.

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"After growing up as an orphan in Lebanon, I fled to Australia as soon as I could and joined the Australian army. Back then, immigrants were encouraged to come over and make a fresh start. I eventually brought my wife over and we started a family. I now breathe by my two lungs - Lebanon and Australia."

Cindy, 21, born in Malaysia.

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Aisyah, 20, born in Malaysia with English heritage.

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Rai, 45, born in Mauritius.

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Balder, 29, born in the Netherlands.

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"Over here, it’s pretty similar to the Dutch culture - how easy-going Aussies are. It felt like home straight away."

Susan, 55, born in New Zealand.

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Luke, 25, born in New Zealand with Australia, Chinese, and Maori-Rarotongan heritage.

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Clair, 25, born in the Philippines.

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Venus, 29, born in the Philippines.

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Raluca, 31, born in Romania.

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"My parents decided to leave Romania when I was eight years old to get away from the oppressive communist regime. I’ve been here since, and I love the beach and the lifestyle. I just don’t think it gets better anywhere else in the world."

Aziz, 27, born in Saudi Arabia.

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Bruce, 36, born in Scotland.

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"The weather’s a big plus over here, coming from Scotland. I love the beaches. But I also love the ski down in Tasmania, it’s incredible! Also, there’s so much more here in terms of skill and opportunity."

Lauren, 30, born in Scotland.

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Bineta, 48, born in Senegal.

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Charlotte, 22, born in South Africa.

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Simeen, 19, born in South Africa.

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"I love the fact that Australia is so open and free. And it’s generally accepting of other cultures. You can achieve anything you wanna achieve here."

Daniel, 18, born in South Korea.

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Chathura, 21, born in Sri Lanka.

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Julee, 24, born in Thailand.

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Manar, 36, born in the United Arab Emirates with Lebanese and Egyptian heritage.

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"I was seven when I came. My dad wanted a better life for us. I particularly LOOOOVE the beaches here. They're so beautiful and clean and the people are amazing too."

Caroline, 54, born in the United States of America.

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Shanelle, 37, born in the United States of America with New Zealand and Zimbabwean heritage.

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"The little girl that I used to play with lost her virginity at 11 years old and told me about it. And as a 6-year-old, I went home and told my parents. My dad’s like “no daughter of mine is losing her virginity at 11!!!” and shipped us the hell out of America. We first moved to New Zealand, then found our way to Sydney and fell in love."

Allan, 18, born in Vietnam.

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Annaleise, 17, born in Vietnam.

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"What do I love about Australia? The diversity. Not the weather, though. Haha! I love the array of people that you meet and the opportunities. So many opportunities!"

Emma, 25, born in Wales.

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Chloe, 17, born in Australia with Chinese heritage.

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Marisa, 24, born in Australia with East Timorese heritage.

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"I think it’s the lifestyle here that I love. It’s quite simple, very beach-y, and there’s lots of art and fashion and stuff."