Getting In

Since the 1800s, various immigration policies have dictated who gets in. This exhibition shows how and why our immigration policies have changed. We focus on four periods: the gold rush days of the 1840s to 1900, Federation to the end of the Second World War, then post-war to the early seventies, and finally 1973 to the present day. You'll see photographs, historical objects, and personal stories that show the effects of these policies on cultural diversity in Victoria.

Central to the exhibition is an interactive theatre experience whereby visitors find themselves in the role of a government official charged with the responsibility of interviewing people applying to migrate to Australia, and discovering whether or not they 'get in'.