Beyond this nondescript road exists a place of complex history. This is the Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre. Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre sits in a quiet part of Maribyrnong. This suburb is about five miles northwest of central Melbourne.
Let me tell you a story. It is a story of migrants, students, and detainees. The Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre’s story stretches back further than you might think. This site has seen multiple transformations reflecting Australia’s evolving relationship with immigration and its role in global conflicts.
Once, this land echoed with the sounds of industry. It was the arsenal of Australia. Street names like Cordite Avenue remind us of this past. Maribyrnong was a center for weapons manufacture for most of the twentieth century. In 1942, a new pyrotechnic section produced fuses and flares.
After the war, Nissen huts dotted this landscape. These corrugated iron structures housed postwar migrants. These migrants were mostly displaced persons from European camps. The Maribyrnong Migrant Hostel emerged. It offered basic accommodation. Over time, the quality of accommodation improved due to resident protests. The metal huts were replaced. Two-story apartment blocks appeared for families. Smaller buildings housed single men.
An architectural historian made an important point. There was a housing shortage after the Second World War. The government faced pressure to provide better homes. But the wider Australian population was ambivalent about immigration. To keep anti-immigrant sentiment at bay, migrant housing was visibly inferior.
By the early 1980s, Australia’s assisted passage scheme phased out. Migrant centers then focused on refugees. However, by 1983, part of the Maribyrnong site became a detention center. The rest was redeveloped into student accommodation.
The Student Village opened on March 2 1990. It hosted undergraduates for a quarter of a century. It closed in 2016. The village became an eerie place after the students left. Windows grew dusty. Curtains looked grubby.
Today, only the Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre remains active. It opened in 1983. It was set up for visa over-stayers. It also housed those denied entry into Australia.
A contact shared a story about a Vietnamese man. He awaited deportation. He cheerfully pointed out the buildings where he had lived. He and his uncle arrived in Australia as refugees.
The fences at the back and side of the Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre are heavily surveyed. Signs warn Keep Out. Once, a Teeth On Wheels van parked in the corner. It promised a positive dental experience to detainees. But what else was positive about being detained there?
The Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre closed on December 31 2018. It leaves behind a complex legacy. It reminds us of Australia’s changing attitudes toward immigration. The Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre represents many things. It stands as a place of migrants, students, and detainees.