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Where to buy Ethereum in Australia?

Mark Bristow avatar
Mark Bristow
- 3 min read
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Ethereum may be one of the best-known cryptocurrencies on the market, rivalling Bitcoin in popularity and also offering several other features and benefits. There are several options available for you to start investing in Ethereum, so it’s important to compare your choices.

What is Ethereum? 

Technically, Ethereum is the name of the blockchain network, with the native cryptocurrency is named Ether (ETH), though the names are often used synonymously.

Much like Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, Ether can be exchanged for selected goods and services, or used as an investment asset, similarly to more traditional currencies.

Additionally, the Ethereum blockchain can be used as a decentralised platform for managing smart contracts, which have a wide variety of potential applications.

Ethereum was first crowdfunded in 2014 and developed by the Ethereum Foundation, a Swiss non-profit. The Ethereum blockchain also serves as a host for several other cryptocurrencies, as well as non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

How can you acquire Ethereum in Australia?

Ethereum works similarly to several other cryptocurrencies, as there are two main ways to own it – mine it, or buy it.

Mining Ether works similarly to minding Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, in that you are rewarded for contributing part of your computer’s processing power to work on the cryptographic hashes that maintain the blockchain. But with the rise of professional crypto miners who run specialised mining rigs 24/7, it’s often less practical for everyday Australians to mine Ether from home.

You can also buy Ether at most crypto exchanges – simply sign up with the exchange of your choice and invest as much money as you’re comfortable with into Ethereum. Be sure to compare crypto exchanges before making a choice, analysing their fees, features and benefits, and consider checking if they’re registered with AUSTRAC to ensure they comply with local laws and regulations.

You may choose to keep the digital keys used to access your Ether in an online wallet with the exchange, or you may choose to download them to your own offline storage wallet, such as a portable hard drive. Accessing your crypto online can be convenient, though you may benefits from extra security if you choose offline storage.

What are Gas fees?

Unlike some other blockchains, making transactions on the Ethereum network involves paying a fee, named Gas. A Gas fee is essentially a transaction fee, which helps to compensate Ethereum miners for the computational power used when verifying transactions on Ethereum. Gas fees are separate to any fees that your chosen crypto exchange may charge.

Gas fees are paid in Ether, and their prices are denoted in gwei, which itself is a denomination of Ether. These prices may rise or fall depending on the current level of traffic on the Ethereum blockchain.

Disclaimer

This article is over two years old, last updated on May 18, 2022. While RateCity makes best efforts to update every important article regularly, the information in this piece may not be as relevant as it once was. Alternatively, please consider checking recent cryptocurrency articles.

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Product database updated 23 Nov, 2024

This article was reviewed by Personal Finance Editor Alex Ritchie before it was published as part of RateCity's Fact Check process.