Australian Ambassador Colin Heseltine

Koreans were able to enjoy some of the icons of the Australian lifestyle -- a beach, an aquarium, a wine cellar, an Australian pub and a golf course -- at the Australia Day 2005 celebrations in Seoul. The event, which was held at the Seoul Grand Hyatt Hotel on 26 January, Australia's national day, had around 1,000 invited guests, including Korean and Australian CEOs, foreign Ambassadors and senior Korean Government officials. At the announcement of this year's event, Australian Ambassador Colin Heseltine said, 'Each Australia Day since 2003 has aimed to give our Korean guests an opportunity to experience Australia in Seoul while highlighting the strong and growing partnership between our two countries.' 'This year's event has been organized to give "A Sense of Australia" and will showcase elements of the Australian lifestyle', Ambassador Heseltine said. The displays included: a mini-aquarium, full wine cellar, a replica Australian pub, bathroom spa, an Australian living room, specialist restaurant serving Australian delicacies, mini-golf course, an art gallery, and the Australian-made Holden Statesman automobile soon to be introduced to Korea by GM Daewoo. Centre-stage was occupied by the consummate Australian icon --a simulated beach environment which featured swimwear models, sunglasses, beach umbrellas, surf boards and model yachts. 'With two-way merchandise trade worth almost US$10 billion annually, South Korea is one of Australia's most important trading partners,' Ambassador Heseltine said. 'More importantly, Australia and South Korea share a trade relationship that is perhaps the most complementary in the world.' 'For decades, there has been a strategic economic partnership between Australia and South Korea,' Ambassador Heseltine said. 'Australia is South Korea's number one supplier of coal, iron ore, nickel, sugar, beef and dairy products. Building on its long-term record as a stable, cost-effective supplier, Australia is also working to become a major long-term supplier of LNG to South Korea. At the same time, the services trade is growing strongly. Tourism, information technology, financial services and education services have become significant parts of the relationship.' Ambassador Heseltine said, 'The major corporate sponsors of this year's event reflect the strong and growing partnership between Australia and South Korea.' The major sponsors of the event in 2005 included ANZ Bank, the Australia-Korea Foundation, Australia-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea, Austrade, BHP Billiton, Elders, GM Daewoo, Macquarie Bank, Meat and Livestock Australia, National Australia Bank, Rio Tinto, Tourism Australia and Australian LNG producers NWS Australia LNG , Chevron Texaco, Gorgon, and Woodside Energy.