The City of Melbourne is the home, workplace and leisure centre of one of the world's most harmonious and culturally diverse communities.
Residents from more than 140 nations live side by side in Melbourne, brought here by four main waves of migration.
The first wave was European settlement in the 1830s by mostly Anglo-Celtic people who displaced the area’s original inhabitants, the people of the Kulin nation.
The second was a flood of hopefuls from all over the world trying their luck during the 1850s Gold Rush. This lead to further Aboriginal dispossessions, especially inland from the early Melbourne settlement. The influx saw the arrival of significant numbers of Chinese.
The third wave was post-WWII refugees and displaced people from Europe as well as assisted migrants to bolster Australia’s population. By 1976, 20 per cent of the city’s population spoke a non-English first language. The fourth significant wave came post-1970s, with migration from Vietnam and Cambodia.
In recent years, large numbers of international students have contributed to the multicultural fabric of Melbourne.
Melbourne today is a welcoming, outgoing and confident city, a reflection on the generous and inclusive spirit of its people. This spirit embraces change while respecting heritage; celebrates diversity while sharing a common sense of place and pride; and aspires to a rich, lively and peaceful future.
Multicultural profiles
The City of Melbourne is a diverse community with different groups of people residing, studying and working in its suburbs. Our population springs from a wide variety of countries of origin, including New Zealand, Korea, Italy, Somalia, India, the United Kingdom, and many more. International students are also a significant part of our multicultural population.
Visit Suburban demographics to explore the social and multicultural diversity that makes up the city.
The Travellers and The Australian's History Initiative
The Travellers consists of ten sculptures on Sandridge Bridge, on the Yarra River. The Australian's History Initiative on the same bridge is a series of glass panels recording the history of Melbourne's population. Together, these public art works celebrate Melbourne's diversity - from Victoria's original Indigenous inhabitants to the waves of immigrants who have helped to shape our city.
Find out more
The Travellers – Factsheet (PDF, 243kb)
The Travellers – Factsheet (Text only, 340kb)
Immigration Museum
The Immigration Museum in the city not only exhibits the success stories of multiculturalism but also provides information on the displacement of Indigenous people, the White Australia Policy of the 1950s and 1960s and the difficulties ethnic communities have experienced fitting into Australian society in the past.
The museum is in the beautifully restored Old Customs House building. Customs House was to early Melbourne what Ellis Island was to New York. It was the gateway to the goldfields, and boatloads of immigrants were processed in the building by customs officials.
Visit the Immigration Museum at 400 Flinders Street, Melbourne. Phone 03 9927 2700.
Multicultural Hub
The City of Melbourne’s Multicultural Hub is a friendly place, where people from Melbourne’s many different cultures can get together to work, share and learn in a safe and supportive environment.
The Multicultural Hub is owned by the City of Melbourne and is managed by the Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES), Victoria’s largest local provider of multicultural support services.