Victorians come from more than 200 countries, speak 260 languages and dialects and follow 135 religious faiths.
Why do people leave their countries of birth to live here? What is their experience in their new country? How do communities adapt to new arrivals?
These are the questions that the Immigration Museum poses. Expect a thought-provoking experience filled with stories that are sometimes sad, sometimes funny, but always compelling. And somewhere within, you'll find your own story.
In 1998, the Immigration Museum opened in the beautifully restored Old Customs House. As the former administrative centre of Melbourne's immigration and customs, it is the perfect home for a museum filled with the real stories of people who have migrated to Victoria.
Today, you'll find two floors of exhibition galleries that house temporary and permanent exhibitions. Several times a year in the Festival Courtyard we host joyous community festivals that are alive with food, music and culture. The Immigration Discovery Centre is the perfect place to start your genealogical research, while the Tribute Garden is a beautiful sanctuary that honours immigrants from over 90 countries.
Connecting with culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Victoria
The Immigration Museum collaborates with culturally and linguistically diverse communities to explore, document and present stories and experiences of immigration and cultural diversity in Victoria.
We work together to create Community Exhibitions and Community Cultural Festivals and invite community members to contribute towards planning for future initiatives, projects, research and development of collections.
Each community is unique, and this requires the museum to be adaptable and flexible in its approach to working with communities. The process for establishing and developing relationships with communities is on the basis of mutual respect, shared goals, open and honest dialogue and collaborative attitude. This process is important in establishing and building long term connections with Victoria’s diverse communities. What the community has to say.
Community contribution is key to the success of these projects. The Immigration Museum seeks feedback about the process from community representatives after each project; and this informs future approaches and processes. The Museum maintains ongoing relations with communities through annual community consultations and special projects.
The Museum is committed to developing strong and sustainable relationships with Victoria’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities.