Immigration Museum

Using first-hand accounts, real-life imagery and memorabilia, the true stories of people who have migrated to Victoria are recounted in this fascinating Melbourne museum. It's housed inside a magnificently restored building that, between 1858-70, acted as Melbourne's own Customs House, gateway to the fledgling colony. Upstairs on the second floor is an exhibition space exploring social issues and cultural oddities, veering from multicultural cuisine and religion right up to death while at the Museum's epicentre is the wonderful Long Room, a revivalist marvel of Renaissance architecture worth the price of admission alone.

Permanent exhibitions

Behind the Wheel
Ever wondered what the backstory is of the cabbie you hailed down at 4am? Taxi-driving is just one of the many opportunities new migrants all over the world latch on to as a way to make a living. A new display at the Immigration Museum sheds some light on Lebanese migration and their early entrepreneurial ventures in the taxi business, here in Victoria. It will be added as a long-term element of Immigrant Stories, showing for five years.