When first stepping off the plane at Sydney International Airport, there was a familiar vibe that seemed to float around the series of rooms and corridors for arrive at the exit. The airport looked like any other with the terminal, customs and baggage claim. It was when I went outside that I noticed an unfamiliar, but refreshing, sense of belonging. At first, I couldn't really put my finger on it. Maybe it was the jet lag, or just fatigue from the long flight from America, but I certainly knew that something was different about Australian architecture compared to other places I had studied in America, like Chicago. The next day I went exploring, trying to understand what was different about Sydney. Of course everyone knows the famous Harbor Opera House, but there was something different with the commercial building around the CBD. In this essay I will discuss what I learned about Australian architecture, a brief history and most of all, a major influence on Australian style, Harry Seidler. Australia is a country that has only been around for almost 100 years, a short time compared to other countries like America that has been around for almost 200 years. Australia being a young country, it is easy to see that it is still discovering the Australian style. In 1890, architects James Izett and Howard Joseland asked the question: "What, in the first place, should guide us in the development of an Australian type (Johnson 1980, p. 2)?" Both seemed to believe that climate was the solution. Another man, James Green, believed that public and urban buildings should be considered one style and domestic architecture another. A popular opinion was that the ancient Bri...... middle of paper...... Government 2008, Modern Australian Architecture, accessed 21 November 2011, .Australian Government 2010, Australian Architecture, accessed 4 October 2011 , .Johnson, DL 1980, Australian Architecture 1901 - 51, Sydney University Press, Sydney.Lumby, R 2006, Harry Seidler 1923 - 2006, accessed 4 October 2011, .Saunders, A 2000, Modern Australian Architecture & the Meaning of Gardens , accessed 21 November 2011, .Vulker, J 1990, Studying Australian Architecture, National Capital Printing, Canberra.Wikipedia 2011, Architecture of Australia, accessed 4 October 2011, .