Skip to main content

                    Multicultural communities

                    Chinese dragon dancers
                    The City of Melbourne is home to one of the world's most harmonious and culturally diverse communities.

                    ​Our population is made up of people from all over the world. Around 140 cultures are represented, from Victoria's original Indigenous inhabitants to more recent migrants from countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.

                    Some nationalities migrated to Melbourne early in its history and contributed significantly to the city's growing identity. Others are more recent arrivals, such as the large numbers of international students that have added to the multicultural fabric of the city.

                    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.

                    Learn more about the City of Melbourne's cultural diversity and demographics in our resident profiles.

                    Welcoming Cities
                    We are proud to join Welcoming Cities, a national network committed to an Australia where everyone can belong and participate. We’re committed to making sure our policies, programs and services are inclusive for all.

                    ​​Melbourne's migrants and multicultural history

                    There were the following four main waves of migration that brought people to Melbourne:

                    • In the 1830s, European settlement by mostly Anglo-Celtic people displaced the area's original inhabitants, the people of the Kulin Nation.
                    • During the 1850s gold rush, a flood of hopefuls from all over the world arrived to try their luck. This lead to further Aboriginal dispossessions, especially inland from the early Melbourne settlement. The influx saw the arrival of significant numbers of Chinese people.
                    • Post-WWII saw the arrival of 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.
                    • Post-1970s, the fourth significant wave came with migration from Vietnam and Cambodia.

                    Visit the Immigration Museum in the central city to learn more about Melbourne’s multicultural history. The museum 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.

                    Migrant groups

                    Chinese

                    Thousands of Chinese migrants were among the people who flocked to Victoria in the 1850s after gold was discovered. Their impact is evident throughout Melbourne, but can be particularly seen in the streets and alleys around Little Bourke Street.

                    Melbourne's Chinatown, Australia’s oldest, began around 1854–55 as a cluster of shops and boarding houses in Celestial Avenue. Today the precinct is a bustling, colourful area packed with shops and restaurants.

                    Several shops still stock goods similar to that of the earliest stores. The Num Pon Soon building, built in 1861, has always been a meeting place and worship hall. The narrow, three-storey building in Heffernan Lane has been a restaurant for much of the time since it was first built in the 1860s.

                    More information:

                    Italians

                    Between the 1920s and 1950s Carlton was the main destination for immigrant Italians. Today the suburb's proportion of Italian residents is about four per cent, compared with 30 per cent in its heyday.

                    However, Lygon Street in Carlton remains a joyous celebration of everything Italian. This popular strip is lined with double-storey Victorian terraces that house dozens of Italian shops, cafes and restaurants. This is the street that introduced an espresso machine to Melbourne in the 1950s, launching the city's famous love affair with coffee.

                    Every October, the Lygon Street Festa celebrates the city's Italian heritage. The Festa famously features the Italian waiters’ race and a spaghetti-eating contest.

                    More information:

                    Greeks

                    Melbourne is said to have the largest Greek-speaking population outside of Europe, after Athens and Thessaloniki, Melbourne’s Greek sister city.

                    Greek migration to Australia dates back to 1827, but the vast majority of Greeks arrived between 1945 and 1982.

                    The city’s Greek Precinct (in and around Lonsdale Street between Swanston and Russell streets) had its beginnings in the 1930s. Today it is home to Greek restaurants, cafes and cake shops as well as travel agents and music stores. The area is also the focal point of the Festival of the Antipodes, held every March.

                    More information:

                    Immigration Museum​

                    Visit the Immigration Museum in the central city to learn more about Melbourne’s multicultural history. The museum 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.

                    The Travellers and the Australian's History initiative

                    The Travellers on the Yarra River's Sandridge Bridge consists of steel sculptures that represent periods of migration to Australia. Alongside the sculptures are the Australian's History Initiative, a series of glass panels that record the history of Melbourne's population. Together these art works celebrate Melbourne's diversity, from Victoria's original Indigenous inhabitants to the waves of immigrants who helped to shape our city.

                    More information

                    Was this page helpful?

                    If you'd like to give more feedback or ask a question, please contact us.