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Matilde, an Italian expat who has lived in four different countries, shares her experience of finding it challenging to form meaningful friendships in Australia. She attributes this to the country's social culture and the perception of Australians as extroverted and eager to make new friends.

However, she finds that many Australians already seem to have all the friends they need and are content with long-established friendship groups. Matilde's comments sparked a conversation about the challenges of building friendships in Australia , particularly for migrants and newcomers.

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Before arriving, Matilde expected Australia's famously social, laid-back culture to make settling in easier - she couldn't have been more wrong. According to the Italian expat who has built a life across four different countries, Australia was by far the 'worst place' to form meaningful friendships . Not because people were rude but because they already seemed to have all the friends they needed.

'Australia has been the hardest country to make friends in,' she said in a video. before arriving, Matilde expected Australia's famously social culture to make settling in easier.

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One Sydney local who recently relocated to Brisbane said they experienced the same thing. 'Everyone is always friendly, but it always feels like you're making surface-level acquaintances rather than genuine friendships,' they wrote. Another summed it up more bluntly. 'People are friendly here but don't want to make actual friends. '

For Matilde, the disconnect comes down to the type of conversations people are willing to have. Matilde's comments struck a nerve because they highlighted something many migrants, interstate movers, and even lifelong Australians have quietly observed for years. They're really good at small talk and it's something I absolutely cannot do, she said .

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That desire for emotional closeness isn't unusual. In recent years, loneliness has become a growing topic of conversation around the world, particularly among adults who have moved cities, changed jobs, or found themselves rebuilding social circles later in life. While making friends as a child often happens naturally through school, adulthood tends to be far more structured.

Existing commitments, families, careers, and routines leave less room for new relationships to develop. Some Australians argued that was exactly what Matilde was experiencing. 'How else do you become friends without first starting with small talk? ' one person asked.

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Others suggested Australians can be slow to open up rather than unwilling. 'People don't want to invst time in temporary friendships. They know you're not there permanently, so there's no point in going deep,' one wrote.

Yet many locals admitted they recognised the problem themselves. 'I was born here in Australia and completely agree. It's very cliquey and it doesn't matter which state. I have zero friends and I'm in my mid-50s,' one woman said.