Greek migration to Australia was commemorated with emotion and pride at the opening of Finding Home, a new exhibition launched on Friday, 6 June, at the Bonegilla Migrant Experience site near Wodonga, Victoria. Greek migration stories remembered at ‘Finding Home’ exhibition.
The event drew around 40 attendees and featured a presentation, panel discussion, and guided walk through the historic grounds of the former Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre.
A collaboration between Wodonga Council and La Trobe University’s Dardalis Archives of the Hellenic Diaspora, the exhibition reflects on identity, resilience, and belonging through the lens of the Greek migrant journey.
Among the guests were Wodonga Mayor Michael Gobel, exhibition curator and Greek archivist Emmanouela Giannoulidou, former Bonegilla resident Ilias Tsinanis with his son Zac, La Trobe University’s Albury-Wodonga Head of Campus Dr Guinever Threlkeld, and University Librarian David Groenewegen.
For Mr Tsinanis, who lived at Bonegilla in 1967 as a 10-year-old, returning stirred powerful memories of his family’s uncertain early days in Australia.
The display features suitcases, letters, photographs, and personal items from the Dardalis Archives—one of the largest Hellenic diaspora collections globally—highlighting the lives of the over 18,000 Greeks who passed through Bonegilla between 1947 and 1971.
Ms Giannoulidou described the exhibition as a tribute to the endurance and cultural richness that Greek migrants brought with them.
Mayor Gobel commended the ongoing partnership with La Trobe and the importance of preserving these narratives.
Finding Home will remain open to the public until 30 June 2026.
