Modern Greek

Significant numbers of Greek migrants arrived during the gold rushes, but the largest waves came between World War II and the 1970s.

Module Language in print

Greek settlement in Australia

The 2011 census shows nearly 80 per cent of Greek-born Australian residents arrived before 1971. As a result, the median age of the Greek-born population in Australia is now over 71.

Greek cafes, milk bars and speciality food outlets became popular landmarks in many Australian towns and cities during the first six decades of the twentieth century. Dozens of such establishments operated in major cities.

One well-known example was the Niagara Café. Established in 1902 by Kytherian Greek Strati Notara, it was a classic example of a rural Greek cafe. The restoration of the last authentic Greek cafe in Gundagai was recently completed.

A photo of a menu in Greek displayed in a restaurant window in Gundagai, New South Wales.

Jeff Carter, The menu at the Niagara Café in Gundagai, New South Wales, July 2007, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137321967

Newspaper resources

The front page of To Ethnico Vema, a Greek-Australian newspaper

(2021). To ethnico vema : Greek national vema, nla.gov.au/nla.news-title1592

Learning activities

Activity 1: Write a mystery article
Have students write a newspaper article about a mystery—real or imagined. This activity encourages students to:

consider the writing style and tone
demonstrate a range of grammatical and stylistic techniques
tailor their writing for a specific audience and purpose

Activity 2: News from the homeland
Hold a class discussion on how the delivery of information from a country of origin might influence the content and tone of newspapers written in that language. Consider:

political or media influences
cultural values and narrative styles
the impact of distance and diaspora

Activity 3: Explore multilingual newspaper content
Ask students to explore the articles and content of the newspaper resources linked earlier in the module. Encourage them to: