Sydney: Indian-origin Priya Serrao is celebrating with family and friends on Friday after she was crowned Miss Universe Australia, a title she intends to use to raise awareness about diversity and multi-culturalism.
The 26-year-old policy advisor from the state of Victoria edged out over a dozen other finalists in Melbourne on Thursday night, reports Xinhua news agency.
Serrao will represent Australia at the Miss Universe competition next year in South Korea.
She was born in Belmannu, Karnataka, but spent most of her early childhood in Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Serrao moved to Australia when she was 11.
Having graduated from law she said her proudest moment is completing an internship with the UN Development Programme in Timor-Leste.