A special exhibition from the Albury Regional Museum provides an extraordinary insight into the lives of the men and women who helped shape and develop Australia’s rich multicultural heritage.

From the Steps of Bonegilla is a unique collection of photographs, stories and memorabilia that depicts life at the Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre near Albury Wodonga from 1947 to 1971.

Additional displays have been added from the Archives own collection covering government policies, the assisted migration scheme, learning English and the Good Neighbour Movement.

Bonegilla housed 320,000 migrants during its 24 years of operation. The first migrants were Displaced Persons fleeing the horrors of World War II. Subsequent European migrants were attracted through immigration advertising. People from 31 different cultures passed through the gates of the centre, providing Australia with a much needed population boost.

The exhibition celebrates the courageous decision made by migrants to journey by ship, and later plane, to a foreign destination. It explores the impact of the Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre on the lives of migrants who themselves played a vital role in shaping the Australia we know today.

A register will be available at the National Archives in Canberra for people who were involved with the Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre to write their story.