There are distinct variations of the Australian Accent and the ability to understand Australian speakers can sometimes be a challenge for non-native speakers.

Australia is the world’s sixth largest country and covers an area of over 7.7 million square kilometres.  Despite the sheer size of the country, the Australian accent cannot really be viewed in terms of geographical differences as many would expect.  Australians tend to be a very mobile population and therefore have spread their language all around the country.  So instead of viewing variations in accent in terms of location, the Australian accent has mostly been viewed in terms of class.  

Variations of the Australian accent have been classified as Broad, General and Cultivated.   Broad Australian accents are typically strong and more difficult to understand. This is the one most commonly known by people outside of Australia or joked about by comedians.  However it is not the most commonly spoken.

Cultivated Australian accents tend to sound more proper and resemble formal British English.

It is a General Australian accent which is most widely spoken by most Australian English speakers and is in between the above two accent extremes.   It is also the most useful Australian accent to learn.

You can learn to understand and speak with an Australian Accent by listening to native speakers in your community or watching Australian tv shows and mimicking speakers which takes time.  An Australian Accent course with Australia English Institute will shortcut the learning process and give tips and guidance to shortcuts and identify patterns to help you speak with a general Australian accent.   Contact an accent reduction specialist at Australia English Institute for more information.