Australia – Greek Diaspora History
The Greek Community of Melbourne
Top 10 Facts About the Greek Community of Melbourne
The prominent Greek community of Melbourne, Australia; encapsulates the essence of the Greek diaspora. There’s a reason why 44% of Greek migrants to Australia choose to live in Melbourne. With a rich Greek diaspora history, we’ve collated some interesting information about the Greek community of Melbourne for you below.
The Australian Census in 2016 found that 162,103 people from the Greater Melbourne Area claim Greek ancestry. Here are the top 10 Facts about the Greek community of Melbourne:
1. The Greek community of Melbourne is often described as the third largest Greek city in the world.
Ok, so number 1 might not actually be fact. According to official data, Melbourne is the seventh largest Greek city (in terms of Greek speaking population) in the world, behind Athens, Thessaloniki, Piraeus, Patras, Nicosia, and Limassol. What is fact however, is that the Greek community of Melbourne is the largest Greek-speaking population outside of Greece and Cyprus.
2. Greek immigration to the state of Victoria began in the 1850s with the gold rush.
Most of the Greeks arriving in Australia at this time were men, with plans to return to their homeland. For a detailed timeline of Greek immigration to Australia, click here.
3. Approx. 600 people from Greece have migrated to Victoria in 2011/12, which saw a resurgence in Greek immigration to Australia.
As a result of the economic crisis, many Greeks are leaving their homeland in search of work. The Greek community of Melbourne has supported the newly arrived Greeks, with well-established support services and networks.
4. Melbourne is a sister city to Thessaloniki.
Melbourne has six sister cities, the third of which, Thessaloniki, was established in 1984. This symbolic relationship recognises the large and dynamic Greek community of Melbourne and helps to reinforce the many similarities between these two great port cities.
5. The Greek community of Melbourne has produced many famous athletes.
These athletes include Avraam Papadopoulos, Charlie Yankos, Ange Postecoglou, Kimon Taliadoros, Jason Davidson, Mark Philippoussis, Anthony Koutoufides, Ange Christou, David Zaharakis, Andrew Demetriou, and Yiannis Kouros.
6. The Greek community of Melbourne predominantly resides in the regions of Monash, Manningham, Darebin, Moreland, and Whittlesea.
The suburbs, within these regions, with the most Greek Australians include Oakleigh, Clayton, Doncaster, Templestowe, Northcote, Coburg, Preston, Brunswick, and Thomastown.
7. The Greek community of Melbourne have a precinct in the heart of Melbourne.
The Greek Precinct is located on Lonsdale Street in Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD). Although the Greek presence there has declined over the past couple of decades, there still are a number of Greek restaurants and Greek cultural shops, as well as the Greek Community Centre.
8. The annual Greek Festival has been showcasing the Greek community of Melbourne for over 30 years.
Melbourne’s Antipodes Festival has been running since 1987. Located on next to the Greek Precinct and extending down Lonsdale Street in Melbourne’s CBD, the festival is also sometimes referred to as Lonsdale Street Greek Festival.
9. The official Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne was established in 1897.
57 Greeks who were living in Melbourne decided to create the Greek Community of Melbourne in 1897. Little did they know that it would become one of the largest and most historical Greek Diaspora Community organisations in the world.
10. Greek Australians have Melbourne’s Oakleigh.
A stroll through Oakleigh’s Eaton Mall, affectionately referred to as Little Athens or Omonia Square, and you will think you are in Greece. Oakleigh is a hub for the Greek community of Melbourne – with a plethora of Greek café’s, gyros food outlets, Greek delis, and other cultural shops. Nikos Cakes, Vanilla Lounge, and Kentro are the main cafes in Oakleigh that will see crowds spill out onto Eaton Mall with large outdoor seating areas, creating an atmosphere you’ll have to travel to Greece to find! You can even get traditional Greek gyros pita wraps in Oakleigh (the same as the ones you’ll find in Greece, stuffed with chips) from Kalimera Souvlaki Art, Meat Me Souvlakeri, Mythos Gyros Bar, and Mega Yeeros.
Do you have a connection to Greek Diaspora in Australia? Trace your ancestry to find out. There are a number of DNA tests available but the most common and most trusted of is Ancestry.com