Museum of Chinese Australian History

In Melbourne CBD’s Chinatown, the Museum of Chinese Australian History explores the history, heritage and culture of Chinese Australians. Its work centres on the stories of migration, community and the long cultural relationship between Australia and China, making it a useful place to understand a significant part of Melbourne’s social history.

The museum’s collection includes around 8,000 artefacts connected with Chinese Australian history and the interaction between the people of Australia and China. Exhibitions and programs include One Million Stories: Chinese Australians 200 Years, which follows the journey from the first migrant to the present day, and Memories of Chinatown, drawing on personal stories, memories and community history. Visitors can also learn about Chinese migration to Australia and the Han Dynasty, and see the world’s largest processional dragon.

The museum occupies a building in the heart of Chinatown that was built by the Cohen brothers in 1890 as a furniture warehouse. It was acquired by the Victorian Government in 1984 to establish a museum that would provide a heritage and cultural foundation for Melbourne’s Chinatown. That setting gives the visit a direct connection to the neighbourhood and the history the museum presents.

Alongside its permanent collection and exhibitions, the museum hosts talks, cultural activities and special events. Recent and listed programs include family history days, conversations about creative work and achievement, a contemporary exhibition about a 19th-century Chinese miner, and Mahjong Moments with Tea & Treats. Weekend guided tours are included with admission, while adult group tours can be combined with a Chinatown walk or a yum cha lunch. The venue also offers school tours and spaces for exhibitions, dinners, talks and other functions.

It suits solo visitors, school and adult groups, and anyone wanting a focused introduction to Chinese Australian history in Melbourne. The museum is open from 10am to 4pm every day except public holidays, at 22 Cohen Place, with entry via Little Bourke Street or Lonsdale Street. Admission tickets are purchased at the door. Visitors requiring accessibility assistance should check ahead, as the website notes that the museum lift is currently unavailable until further notice.