Support for Little India to be established in Docklands

Lord Mayor Nick Reece’s election pledge to establish a new Little India precinct in Melbourne has been met with enthusiasm across the community, and many are hoping that it could find its home in Docklands.

Announced during October’s City of Melbourne election campaign, Cr Reece said $10 million would be dedicated to establishing a Little India precinct in Melbourne, which is home to the country’s largest Indian diaspora.

According to the most recent Census data, around 15 per cent of Docklands residents were born in India and the suburb has been the centre of significant Indian cultural celebrations in recent years.

While the location of the precinct has yet to be determined, the Lord Mayor has previously stated that “I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up being in Docklands” but that the council would consult with the community.     

In October last year, Docklands hosted Melbourne’s largest-ever Diwali festival at Marvel Stadium’s new town square precinct, which saw more than 20,000 people gather.

The Lord Mayor said last year that he wanted Diwali to become Australia’s largest event and committed to “an unprecedented investment” of $1 million to support cultural events in the city.

He also pledged that his first “overseas mission” as Lord Mayor would be to travel to India to continue strengthening ties and said that he also wanted to establish a sister city relationship with a city in India.

The Lord Mayor told Docklands News in February that he wanted to see Melbourne have a proper home for Little India, like Chinatown, to celebrate the city’s fastest growing cultural community.

“A Little India precinct would be a wonderful way to recognise and celebrate the massive contribution the Indian community has made to Melbourne’s cultural and economic life,” Cr Reece said.

It would be a place where our Indian community and all Melburnians could come to celebrate important occasions like Diwali, Holi, India playing cricket, the latest Bollywood movie, or just to enjoy a good curry.

“Multiculturalism is one of our greatest strengths, and we support a range of activations to celebrate our diversity.”

Further details regarding suitable locations and community engagement have yet to be confirmed, but the City of Melbourne said councillors would have an opportunity to share their priorities as part of the council plan process in the coming months.

Melbourne Diwali director Gautam Gupta said he warmly welcomed the Lord Mayor’s support for the city’s Indian community and that a new Little India precinct could help revitalise Docklands.

“The pledge to establish Little India in Docklands, coupled with a commitment to provide $1 million annually for Indian cultural events, signals a transformative boost to Melbourne’s international standing as a global city,” Mr Gupta said.

“Little India is poised to attract millions in investment, revitalise Docklands and drive economic dynamism that resonates worldwide. Engaging the local community is essential, but our focus is on positioning Melbourne as a vibrant hub for global connectivity and innovation.”

Mr Gupta also urged the City of Melbourne to consult extensively with Docklands residents, ensuring that the local community’s vision was reflected as “we build this great new chapter for our city”.

A Community3008 spokesperson said the local residents’ group supported proposals that enhanced community connection with local cultural events.

“With more than half of our Docklands residents born overseas, celebrating a range of cultural events in our precinct would benefit community connection and local commerce,” the spokesperson said.

“Our promenades are perfect spaces for residents to celebrate their heritage and invite their neighbours to join in and experience different customs and traditions.”

“The establishment of a ‘Little India’ in Docklands seems appropriate given our large local Indian community and would greatly benefit our suburb via social and commercial investment.”

“We’ve seen the great success of the Diwali festivals in the past few years and to add such inclusive cultural colour to Docklands on a permanent basis would be wonderful and it would be good to see the Lord Mayor’s election promise come to fruition.” •