The first Swiss to travel to Australia arrived in the Sydney area only a few years after the first settlement was founded in 1788. The earliest significant emigration of Swiss citizens began in 1839 with the appointment of Charles Joseph La Trobe as Superintendent and later Governor of Victoria. Because of his specific contacts in Switzerland, a large number of wine-growers emigrated from the regions of Neuchâtel and the Three Lakes Region and established important wine-growing areas in Victoria. During the Australian gold rush in the mid-19th century, approximately 2,000 inhabitants of Ticino emigrated to dig for gold. In the late 19th century, Australia became an attractive destination for merchants, tradesmen and craftsmen from German-speaking Switzerland. In the second half of the 20th century, Swiss emigration took on a highly individualized character. The majority of emigrants settled in Sydney and Melbourne.

Switzerland opened a consulate in Sydney in 1855 and one in Melbourne in 1856. There were also consulates in Adelaide (1879-1918) and Brisbane (1889-1933). Diplomatic relations were initiated in 1961, and an embassy was established in Canberra.

Trade relations between Australia and Switzerland are rather modest, but the Swiss economy is an important investor in Australia. All major Swiss multinational corporations are represented in Australia. Australia also has a sizeable number of Swiss residents, the third largest concentration overseas behind the United States and Canada. Since the 1980s, more and more Swiss citizens have visited Australia as tourists or in order to learn the language.