Cyprus has a rich history stretching back to the Bronze Age, and it's strategic importance on trade routes between East and West has meant that many peoples have left their mark there from the Ancient Minoans to the British. It's a culture steeped in tradition and history, but first poverty and wars and more recent economic development and changed have impacted the island, and has resulted in quite large scale emigration to places like Australia.

These days, Cyprus is quite a prosperous and stable place, and so it quite unusual to meet a recent Cypriot arrival in Tasmania. Markelos caught the travel bug young. He didn't feel suited to the classroom environment at school and decided that he wanted to see the world rather than pursue university study. He came to Australia as a working holidaymaker, but covid prolonged his stay and he ended up coming to Tasmania to study to be a commercial diver. In doing so, he found Tasmania felt more like home than anywhere else he's been and hopes to stay longer term.