Australia’s first ever Vietnamese cultural centre and museum in Sunshine is another step closer, with the project’s planning permit given the green light to move forward.
Backed by a $2.3 million investment from the state government, the project will provide Vietnamese Victorians with a place to celebrate their heritage and preserve stories of migration and refugee settlement.
The museum will be located at 119 Durham Road in Sunshine, reinforcing Melbourne’s western suburbs as a key locale of Vietnamese culture in both Victoria and Australia.
The three-storey building will host exhibitions to honour migrant journeys to freedom and celebrate the significant contributions of the Vietnamese community to the multicultural fabric of Australia, with the museum set to receive more than 280 artefacts.
It will also include a community hub and resource centre for education, as well as a function centre and café to accommodate community events for up to 450 guests from across Victoria, interstate and abroad.
The site is currently owned by Brimbank City Council, is based within the growing Sunshine Metropolitan Activity Centre, and is only a three-minute walk from Sunshine Railway Station.
The Vietnamese Museum Australia will form the sixth cultural museum in the Multicultural Museums Victoria Network, alongside the Hellenic Museum, Museum of Chinese Australian History, Jewish Museum, Islamic Museum and Museo Italiano.
