Cultural Diversity Week in Wyndham

Tarneit and the municipality of Wyndham as a whole is a significant and diverse part of wider Melbourne. The City of Wyndham is one of the largest growing areas in Victoria, boasting a truly diverse and flourishing community. For instance, did you know almost half of Wyndham residents were born overseas? The community is also home to a large number of young people, families and a significant population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. All these traits and more help to make Wyndham rich and unique. This makes Cultural Diversity Week an excellent opportunity to celebrate what makes our community special!

Running from March 16-24, Cultural Diversity Week is a great time to get involved in your local community, learning more about the cultures that make it so unique. There are a few activities happening across Wyndham municipality to celebrate the occasion. Carry on reading to find out what’s on near you!

Lots to do at the Library
A centre for knowledge and learning, your local library is such a valuable resource. As part of this important week, many libraries across the Wyndham area are hosting activities to mark the occasion.

If you’re a bit of a sweet tooth, join chef Sharon Spiteri for a cooking demonstration. Here you’ll learn how to make delicious Maltese desserts like soufflé gateau and pasta rjalia marzipan bonbons.

For kids aged 8-12, there will be a special Indonesian shadow puppet workshop. Here, little ones will learn the art of being a Dalang, or puppeteer! They’ll be kitted out in batik shirts and udeng headbands all while learning how to make their own shadow puppet. Traditional games, music and a final performance will round out this cultural activity.

Finally, there will be bilingual story times held in Karen, Auslan, Spanish and Hindi. The sessions will be held across various dates at Tarneit, Point Cook and Werribee libraries. Visit the Wyndham Libraries website for more details about their Cultural Diversity Week activities.

Harmony Festival
Sport has always been a uniting pastime, and this festival celebrates rugby as a game for everyone! Held at Chirnside Park on Saturday 16 March, this free community event celebrates diversity and inclusion. There will be cultural performances, market stalls, food trucks, indigenous face painting and more running all day from 9 am to 3 pm.

Community members are also encouraged to come along to watch a game or two. Men’s, women’s, U16s and exhibition teams will all be thrilling crowds as part of the festivities.

If there are more Cultural Diversity Week activities happening near you, be sure to share them with us on Facebook! Also, stay tuned to the Orchard blog for more awesome events happening around Tarneit in the coming months.