Hannah Hammoud
Sunshine is poised to become the home of Australia’s first Vietnamese museum.
Brimbank council said it is exploring the opportunity for the Vietnamese Museum Australia to be built in Sunshine, and potentially be located at the Durham Road car park site.
The Vietnamese Museum Australia, currently has a funding pool of approximately $18 million, including $10 million federal funding, $7 million state funding, and $1 million community funding, but is currently looking for a suitable site to be located.
The Vietnamese Museum Australia, recognising Sunshine’s rich Vietnamese community and history, has formally expressed its interest in establishing the museum in the area. This follows on from the decision to formally rescind its contract with Maribyrnong council for a site in Footscray in October 2023.
Sunshine boasts a strong Vietnamese community, with approximately 32,000 residents of the total Brimbank population – are of Vietnamese heritage.
Brimbank mayor Ranka Rasic said this potential development could deliver meaningful and generational change for Brimbank, by leveraging major investment and infrastructure opportunities.
“The longstanding and vibrant Vietnamese community that makes up the Sunshine CBD of today has helped make it a regional destination to experience authentic Vietnamese food, street life and culture,” she said.
The proposed site, adjacent to Sunshine Station, aims to transform the region into a national visitor and cultural destination.
Council said such a development would be a ‘catalyst’ for further investment and help establish a visitor economy.
To facilitate the process, council has entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vietnamese Museum Australia.
The potential location for the museum is being considered on part of the council-owned Durham Road car park site. However, any decision to sell a part of the council land at the Durham Road car park would be subject to community engagement and a subsequent decision at a future council meeting.
Council will be seeking community feedback on the proposed sale of council land between January 22, and February 19, 2024 through council’s Your Say webpage yoursay.brimbank.vic.gov.au/
