Billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is set to celebrate the holidays in Australia, according to reports by the Sydney Morning Herald.

The SMH said that Gates and his family arrived in Sydney last week and have plans to stay for a month, possibly to get a feel of the Christmas season in this side of the world while enjoying some semblance of anonymity and privacy.

The Gates couple brought their three young children with them, the paper said, and opted to hunker down on the $35 million Portofino mansion owned by luxury car dealer Neville Crichton.

"The Tuscan-style pile has a gym, cellar, six bedrooms and a jetty, along with what could be Australia's most impressive driveway, resembling a giant pinball shoot snaking down the steep site to a multi-car garage," the SMH report said.

The Gates family had secured a three-month lease on the place, which reports said offers sufficient security arrangements fit for high-profile figures like the tech icon, tagged by Forbes for years as the second richest man in the world.

His current net worth of $59 billion, amassed through years of work as prime mover of Microsoft, should be more than enough to cover for the Australian holiday, with the three-level Vaucluse crib reportedly costing Gates $25,000 each week.

The three-month rent cost will require Gates to plunk down more than $300,000, which should not be a problem for the man known for his generosity, at least later in his career.

As Gates gradually moved away from his duties at Microsoft, he and wife Melinda established their foundation that highlighted their philanthropic works that mostly benefitted research works that alleviate poverty and health problems.

Gates also poured investments on cutting-edge technologies that he believes would make life much efficient, easier and more affordable to man.

He was in China last week to formally announce a joint project with the Chinese government that would soon unveil cheap but safer nuclear power reactors.

In Sydney, sightings of the Gates have been reported with the family enjoying a yacht ride and eat-outs during the weekends.

Witnesses interviewed by SMH said that Gates and family took pains not to call attention to as they feasted on a Sydney restaurant, with its owner revealing that the tech mogul left behind a generous tip.