Built on the land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation
Since the 1970s, Australian cities have wrestled with their identities, questioning where their centre – or heart – lies. Is that heart best understood in the concentrated, capital city CBDs, or in the sprawling suburbs that make up the majority of their area? Does it reside in its colonial occupation or in the waves of twentieth-century migrants that have followed since?
As a suburb 22 kilometres south-east of central Melbourne, Springvale represents a highly distributed form of city, in both its physical form and its social makeup. It is one of the most ethnically diverse places in Australia, with a huge percentage of its population coming from various countries in South East Asia. This is not by accident. The Enterprise Migrant Hostel opened there at the end of 1969, offering accommodation and settlement services to migrants and refugees. Between 1970 and 1992, the hostel housed more than 30,000 arrivals, with large numbers coming from Vietnam and Cambodia to escape the strife there. People stayed in the area after passing through the hostel, building the communities that are evident today. Although the White Australia policy had only recently been dismantled in law, the council welcomed the newcomers. Local temples were built and the shopping strips central to Springvale began to emerge.
