[2] Romanians were registered in Australia for the first time more than 80 years ago having emigrated for work seeking a more prosperous economic status, or as missionaries.
[citation needed] But the first wave of Romanian emigrants to Australia came after World War II, when Romania was experiencing severe economic and political problems.
The Romanians who were then emigrating to Australia principally settled in areas around Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
A diverse range of ethnic backgrounds can be found among the Romanian-born population in Australia, including Roma (Gypsies), Germans, Hungarians, Serbians, Russians, Greeks, Jews, Turks, and Bulgarians.
[4] Vasile Teodorescu, born in Galați in 1853, was one of the early Romanian settlers in Australia.