Touched by what he called the "tidal wave of compassion" for the millions hit by the December 26 tsunamis, Sting added the benefit concert to a pair of performances he was scheduled to give this week at the Leeuwin Estate Winery in Western Australia's Margaret River Valley.

"I think we have an opportunity here to raise a lot of money for tsunami relief," Sting said at Perth airport after arriving from India.

The 53-year-old performer, well known for supporting environmental and social causes, was scheduled to give two sold-out concerts at Leeuwin this weekend but added a benefit performance on Thursday after the tsunami.

Money raised from selling 150-dollar tickets, plus matching funds promised by the Western Australia state government, will go towards tsunami relief.

"I'm told that, modestly, it may be three million (Australian) dollars, and that's being aided by the state government matching us dollar for dollar," Sting said.

"It is a reflection of the wonderful generosity of spirit of the people of Western Australia," he said, adding: "There's a tidal wave of compassion out there and people want to help."

Sting's wife Trudie Styler, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund, joined him in Perth along with the couple's daughter Coco, 14, and son Giacomo, 9.

The death toll from the tsunami is approaching 300,000, mainly in Indonesia, although a dozen countries were affected.

"One of the great things that have come from this terrible disaster is that people have rallied together," Sting said. "They have realised that we are one planet, we are one family.

Sting also said he was looking forward to tasting some of the region's wines during his concert tour, even though Australian wine has proven costly to one of his own projects.

"We had a vineyard in Italy ... it has been put out of business by Australian wines actually," he said. "But no hard feelings."

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