Melbourne's Immigration Museum, housed in the grand Old Customs House, explores the rich diversity of immigrants who have poured into Australia since 1788. The museum concentrates on the stories of those who settled in the state of Victoria.
Inside Melbourne's Immigration Museum there are recreations of the vessels they came in, including a 17-metre ship you can climb aboard that contains replicas of a cramped steerage-class square rigger of the 1840s, a second-class saloon from a 1900s' steamer and a cabin from a 1950s' liner.
In a time where immigration is subject to control and regulation, the museum's stories of courage and hope perhaps afford a better understanding of the very human reasons that people will pack up everything and head off into the unknown.