Robert Pattinson The Rover star seemed rather chipper as he touched down in Australia on Thursday morning.

The 28-year-old cracked a rare smile as made his way through the international terminal at Sydney Airport.

In black trousers, black sneakers and a black jumper, the usually media shy star added a pop of color in the form of a lemon T-shirt, which accentuated his newly acquired tan.

The former Twilight Saga actor is Down Under ahead of the Australian premiere of his new film The Rover at the Sydney Film Festival on Saturday night.

The British actor will walk the red carpet at the State Theatre alongside his co-star in the futuristic thriller Guy Pearce, and the director David Michod.

The Rover - which was shot in South Australia at the end of 2012 and beginning of 2013 - is set 10-years after a global economic collapse.

Pearce plays a hardened, ruthless ex-soldier who tracks down a group of men who stole his only possession through the lawless Australian Outback. Pattinson's role is that of a damaged young man who becomes his unwitting accomplice in the movie, which is the sophomore effort from Animal Kingdom filmmaker Michod.

The film had its world premiere at the prestigious Cannes film festival in France last month, playing to rave reviews.

Pattinson is said to be one of the highlights, with Variety calling it a 'career-redefining performance', which reveals 'untold depths of sensitivity and feeling in the erstwhile Twilight star'.

The Los Angeles Times called Pearce 'exceptional' but 'not as much of a revelation as Pattinson's unrecognisable work as Rey'.

Written by Joel Edgerton, Pattinson is expected to stay in Australia for several days promoting the film and catching up friends that he made while filming The Rover over the course of three months.

It's the first but not the last time Edgerton and Pattinson will team up, with the pair starring alongside each other in Fifties drama Life, which is produced by the Oscar-winning Australian filmmaker Emile Sherman (The King's Speech).