Genomics has become a central pillar of many Australian microbiology laboratories. However, as culture independent testing continues to expand, increasingly there is no longer a bacterial isolate to sequence. Genomic approaches based on directly sequencing the original patient specimen offer opportunities to provide diagnostic, typing and even host-microbial data. These strategies are however, not without significant challenges in their implementation. This talk will discuss some of the progresses around establishing metagenomic testing including nationally coordinated efforts to transition into routine microbiology services.