  The current gravitational wave detectors have identified a surprising
population of heavy stellar mass black holes, and an even larger population of
coalescing neutron stars. The first observations have led to many dramatic
discoveries and the confirmation of general relativity in very strong
gravitational fields. The future of gravitational wave astronomy looks bright,
especially if additional detectors with greater sensitivity, broader bandwidth,
and better global coverage can be implemented. The first discoveries add
impetus to gravitational wave detectors designed to detect in the nHz, mHz and
kHz frequency bands. This paper reviews the century-long struggle that led to
the recent discoveries, and reports on designs and possibilities for future
detectors. The benefits of future detectors in the Asian region are discussed,
including analysis of the benefits of a detector located in Australia.
