Darwin's location at the northern tip of Australia played a role in making the city a gateway to Southeast Asia. Over the centuries, a stream of immigrants from Asia arrived on the Australian continent, bringing with them a variety of Eastern cultures that blended with each other and with the Aboriginal culture that existed here to produce an unimaginable cocktail. One of the cultures that had the strongest influence on Darwin's life and development was Chinese culture. During the 18th century, Chinese labourers came to Darwin to meet the needs of the booming mining industry. The growth of Chinese communities was not halted by World War II or the devastating Cyclone Tracy of 1974, which virtually wiped Darwin off the map.
The most important evidence of Chinese presence in Darwin is the Chinese Museum and the Cheung Wah Temple.
The temple is located a 5-minute walk from Darwin's Main Post Office. It was built in 1887, and has since been rebuilt several times due to damage from cyclones and war. The current building was constructed in 1977 on the site of a previous building destroyed by Cyclone Tracy. The symbols above the entrance mean "The power of our Lord Almighty be everywhere!". And the entrance itself is guarded by stone lions handmade in China. The Bodhi tree, sacred to Buddhists, grows on the territory of the temple - it is considered to be a descendant of the very tree under which Buddha reached nirvana. Today, Buddhists, Confucians and Taoists perform their religious rituals here, as well as organise all kinds of cultural events, such as Chinese New Year and the Lunar Festival.
The Chinese Museum is located next to the temple, and tells the story of the diverse Chinese communities living in Darwin. Its collections include many items from the lives of Chinese immigrants of the past and illustrate the hardships they had to overcome in settling into a new country. Here you can see what Chinatown looked like before it was destroyed during the military bombings.
The museum and temple are run by the Chung Wah Community, a non-governmental organisation whose main goal is to preserve Chinese culture, tradition and history. They are popular places to visit for locals and tourists alike, as they serve as a reminder of the significant contribution that the resilient and resourceful Chinese have made to Darwin's culture, development and economic prosperity.
