_{In partnership with the City of Wodonga.}

Rolling hills meet the rugged heights of the Australian Alps in North East Victoria, where the sparkling blue waters of a huge fish-filled lake are an epic backdrop to a window into a history that defined modern Australia. All this and more awaits you on the Bonegilla Migrant Experience.

In 1947, a collection of huts and outbuildings in Bonegilla – about 14 kilometres east of Wodonga – were transformed to become the engine room of a migration wave that reshaped the nation.

Over the following 24 years, more than 300,000 migrants passed through Bonegilla on their way to building new lives in Australia. Hailing mostly from non-English speaking European nations, the new arrivals transformed Australia’s society and economy.

It’s estimated that one in 20 Australians have links to Bonegilla, which helps to explain why thousands of former migrants, their descendants, and history enthusiasts visit every year to see where it all happened.

Today, visitors can take guided tours of the site, or can simply walk the grounds to see the huts and their contents that once provided homes, churches, a school, a cinema, and other services that made up a thriving community of both short- and long-term residents.

Set in wooded grasslands, the site is now home to native wildlife, with the resident kangaroos providing a quintessential Australian flavour to a place once filled with European immigrants. 

Nestled on the banks of Lake Hume, the Bonegilla Migrant Experience is close to the twin cities of Albury and Wodonga on the Murray River, and is within easy driving distance of snowfields, wineries and historic towns.

With lake-side caravan parks available in New South Wales and Victoria, there are plenty of options for you to park up and explore the attractions of this beautiful part of the world.

The friendly Bonegilla Migrant Experience team is onsite from 10 am to 4 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and weekends.

For more information, visit www.bonegilla.org.au.