Bonegilla Kindergarten Christmas Party - 1952. ARM 98.201

Discover Bonegilla was a great success, seeing more than 500 visitors over two days on November 2 and 3. Bonegilla was a hub of activity with ex-residents, family members and people coming to Discover Bonegilla.

We saw many groups reconnect and share stories, making new friends and learning more about Bonegilla and our rich history.

The event helped many reconnect with their past and for many, further their family history research with the wonderful support of Bonegilla Migrant Experience volunteers.

The Bonegilla bus tours behind the Latchford Barracks fence line were so popular we ended up having to host an additional two bus tours to accommodate the demand. A big thank you to the team at Latchford Barracks for allowing us to do so. We hope to be able to do this again.

The long lunch on Saturday was a massive hit. The food was amazing, with raving reviews all day from how filling and delicious it was.

To finish off such a successful weekend, Bonegilla Migrant Experience and Charles Sturt University were very excited to be able to launch the Bonegilla Migrant Experience Virtual Tour.

Thursday, December 26 to Sunday, January 26
Open daily 10am to 4pm
Daily tour at 11am

Note: Monday, January 27 - Australia Day Public Holiday we are open and offering 11am and 2pm guided tours.

Adults $12, children $9, family $31 (2 adults, 2 children - 16 years and under).

Private group tours available by request.

Bookings are encouraged but not required.

For more information please contact our Welcome Centre on (02) 6020 6912.

 

Bonegilla Migrant Experience has started offering guided tours every Saturday and Sunday all year round.

We are offering 11am and 2pm tours on weekends.
Adult $12, children $9, family $31 (2 adults, 2 children - 16 years and under)

Bookings are encouraged but not required.

For more information please contact our Welcome Centre on (02) 6020 6912.

Here at Bonegilla Migrant Experience we have a new range of products on sale for you to enjoy here or take home.

We have joined forces with local producers Tolpuddle Goat Cheese and Farm Foods and have also added some new products from Mt Buffalo Olives.

Come along and enjoy the site and finish your stay with a delicious cheese platter for just $30 - includes cheese of choice, packet of biscuits, olives and quince paste.

Tolpuddle Goat Cheese and Farm Foods are a local producer located in Tarrawingee in north east Victoria. Their farm includes an eight-stand dairy and a herd of 50 Saanen dairy goats and a cheese factory that can process up to 300 litres of fresh goat milk per day in small batches of hand-made, specialist cheeses.

We are fortunate to have Tolpuddle's goat cheese named "Bonegilla" in honour of Tolpuddle's founder, Donovan Jacka's mother Stavroula Lantzakis. Stavroula migrated from Xania in Crete when she was around seven years old. She migrated with her mother Adamantia, father George, older brother Theo and younger sister Mary. The family spent time at Bonegilla Migrant Reception and Training Centre. Pictured here standing at Block 15. Stavroula is the tallest child on the right.

Did you know that the cost to purchase a plaque is tax deductible? For $215 you can have the family name and place of origin engraved on a plaque and included in the sculpture. A certificate showing the plaque on the sculpture is issued to the requesting person. This is a wonderful way to remember the journey taken by friends and family.

More than 1000 plaques have now been placed on The Arc memorial sculpture. Paying tribute to individuals, couples and families that migrated to Bonegilla between 1947 and 1971.

Visit our website to order a plaque or for any questions contact the Welcome Centre on (02) 6020 6912.

We are very pleased to report that our refurbishment works to the site as well as infrastructure enhancements are progressing well.

Stage 2 work has commenced with the following works underway:

• Asbestos removal from the site
• Electrical works
• Re-stumping of the Tudor Hall
• Refurbishment of The Chapel and Beer Garden behind The Hume Club

A bike path linking to Bonegilla Migrant Experience from the Kookaburra Point road is nearing completion with some landscaping works to be completed in the coming weeks.

This enables cyclists and pedestrians to travel from the Kangaroo Store through Kookaburra Point on a sealed roadway connecting to an off-road sealed shared pathway entering the Bonegilla Migrant Experience site adjacent to The Arc memorial sculpture.

Additional landscaping is taking place to bring back some of the flora and fauna that was seen at Bonegilla over the 24 years of operation and some additional structures representing past huts, that no longer stand at Block 19.

These projects have been made possible as a result of funding from the federal government’s Building Better Regions Fund, VicRoads and Wodonga Council.

With the restoration of The Chapel under way we are now calling for donations of items to restore the building to its former glory.

The Chapel is one of the remaining examples of a church at Block 19. The churches provided a steadying presence for the uprooted, by observing the traditional family events - baptisms, first communions, weddings and, sadly, funerals. Huts provided for Lutheran, Catholic and Greek Orthodox congregations, serving the Dutch, Latvian, Italian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Croatian and German-Austrian communities.

Chaplains and church associations helped cater for the needs of co-religions. Church groups offered solace and opportunities for developing new social networks. The chaplains often spoke the home country language.

We are seeking photos featuring The Chapel, religious items and christening and wedding dresses. To enquire about donating an item, please contact our Welcome Centre on (02) 6020 6912.

Image: Bonegilla - Marja and Stefan Kolek - ARM 98.328

Bonegilla Migrant Experience is proud to be a program partner of Upstream - Festival of Art + Culture. The festival will be held in Albury-Wodonga over the long weekend in March 2020. We will be hosting guided tours at 11am and 2pm on Monday, March 9. Immerse yourself in Australia's history. Tickets cost $25 and include a guided tour and light refreshments. Bookings are required and tickets will be available from The Cube Wodonga website in early 2020.

To find out more about this inaugural festival, visit upstream.org.au

We regularly share news and happenings so follow us to keep up-to-date. 

We look forward to welcoming you to Bonegilla Migrant Experience soon.

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132 Bonegilla Rd
Bonegilla VIC 3691
Phone: (02) 6020 6912