Immigration Museum: Melbourne, Australia
After our morning at the Melbourne Museum, we decided to spend our afternoon in the Immigration Museum. This was even more poignant after seeing the First Peoples exhibit as the exhibits here focused on the new immigrants who have helped to shape modern Australia. Located down by the Yarra River, the museum was an easy twenty minute walk down Queen Street from our lunch spot, Wonderbao.
The museum is much smaller than the Melbourne Museum and really focuses in on the immigrant experience (which is probably to be expected given it's name!). The first section highlights the many reasons people have sought to move to Australia - to join family members, to escape violence, find relief from natural disasters, and to find a better life.
Australia being so far away from the rest of the world, this really is a leap of faith for many immigrants. I thought this message on the wall of the exhibit summed up this moment of arrival nicely.
What we found particularly interesting was the fact that the exhibition didn't shy away from the sometimes overtly racist overtones within the history of immigration to Australia. For example, it was clear that from 1901 customs officers were given the power to exclude all non-Europeans. However, due to international uproar, they had to do this via more insidious methods. The "dictation test" was one such method where customs officers would purposely give new immigrants the test in the wrong language - such as when Maltese applicants were given a test in Dutch. They even had an example of a political activist who spoke multiple European languages. They failed the test because they were given a Gaelic version. Shockingly, this process was used up until 1958.
For Chinese immigrants, the restrictions were even tougher. In 1855, a tax on Chinese immigrants was introduced and then they were virtually banned in 1888 (despite working in the mining industry). The exhibit provided a useful timeline of the immigration policies that have shaped the image of Australia and the culture found therein:
Early 1900s: The Immigration Restriction Act (known as the White Australia policy) introduces a dictation test that made it easy to exclude non-British immigrants.
1903: The Naturalisation Act makes it impossible for Asians and non-Europeans to apply for naturalisation.
1914: The War Precautions Act inters Austrian and German residents as "enemy aliens".
1920s: Strict quotas for non-British immigration are introduced and include heavy landing taxes to dissuade would be arrivals.
1940s: The outbreak of war and economic depression essentially halt immigration. German and Italian residents are sent to internment camps while White Australia remains a cornerstone of policy.
1950: The "Bring Out a Briton" scheme clearly demonstrates the preference for British immigrants. This was part of a Commonwealth Government initiative which offered subsidised ship fares, accommodation and support to encourage migration from the UK to Australia after World War II.
1958: The dictation test is finally abolished.
1965: The White Australia policy is removed and about half of all immigrants are non-British at this time.
1970s: The largest numbers of immigrants are from Britain, Italy and Greece.
Late 1970s: Lebanese, Cypriot, and Chilean immigrants arrive fleeing conflict.
1977: The first Vietnamese "boat people" arrive. These were refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship at the end of the Vietnam War.
1980s: There are large numbers of African arrivals, with the majority being Ethiopian.
1990s: The Native Title Act is passed which recognises the prior ownership of the land by the Aboriginal people.
2000s: Refugee tensions and incidents of racially based violence bring international attention in 2005 and 2009.
The question of what is Australian culture and how it is impacted by these newer arrivals was a theme throughout the exhibition. Walking around Melbourne, we could easily see the incredible diversity of the local population. It was very sad to think about how many people would have come all the way to Australia - either by a long boat trip or an expensive flight - only to be turned back at the border.
The final portion of the exhibit had displays about the immigration policies and arrivals throughout the different time periods. These sections were really interesting as they had interactive displays and you could follow along as the rules and regulations changed while also hearing more about the immigrants themselves.
For example, in one of the sections, we were able to act as the customs officer and interview potential immigrants before ultimately deciding if they were worthy of entering Australia. The couple we interviewed were from the UK and wanted to move to Australia to start a farm. They had zero farming experience as they were both teachers and frankly, we thought the guy was a bit shifty in his answers. So, we rejected them... and then got scolded by the computer because they were EXACTLY who Australia was looking for (i.e. white, married, etc).
It was definitely a bit of a wild ride trying to keep up with the changing regulations and watching as the policy moved away from overt racism to a more accepting society. We found it particularly interesting when the rights of Aboriginal citizens started to play a bigger role in policy decisions. After our morning learning about the First Peoples, this was useful to round out our education.
If you're in Melbourne with time to visit two museums, we definitely recommend seeing both the Melbourne Museum and the Immigration Museum. The exhibition is full of detail and really interesting facts about Australia through the years. After leaving the museum, we headed down the South Bank of the Yarra River (which is full of cute restaurants) and through the Botanical Gardens to the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was a fabulous day in a lovely city and we're so glad we had the chance to visit!
Details:
Address: 400 Flinders Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000
Opening Hours: 10am to 5pm every day (except Christmas Day and Good Friday)
Entry Fee: $15 for adults, $10 for seniors, Free for concessions and children
