Sinhalese Australian
Encyclopedia
Sinhalese Australians are citizens or residents of Australia of Sinhalese
Sinhalese people
The Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group,forming the majority of Sri Lanka,constituting 74% of the Sri Lankan population.They number approximately 15 million worldwide.The Sinhalese identity is based on language, heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language and the...

 descent. Sinhalese people are the largest ethnic group of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

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History

Sinhalese people have been immigrating to Australia since the 19th century. However, most of these early immigrants did not stay in Australia. Large-scale Sinhalese immigration to Australia only began in the 1970s. The earliest Sinhalese immigrants to Australia came in the late 1800s as plantation workers in Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg is a city in Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Local Government Area of the Bundaberg Region and is a major centre within Queensland's broader Wide Bay-Burnett geographical region...

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Language

In 2006, there were 29,055 Australians who spoke Sinhalese at home. SBS Radio is available in Sinhalese, and Melbourne television channel Channel 31 runs the Sri Lankan Morning show, which has sections in Sinhalese.

Religion

Most Sinhalese Australians are Christians or Theravada
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...

 Buddhists. There are Sinhalese Buddhist temples in Victoria, New South Wales,Queensland and South Australia

including the Dhamma Sarana Buddhist Temple of Melbourne's eastern suburbs
Eastern Suburbs (Melbourne)
The Eastern Suburbs is a general term used to describe the metropolitan area directly to the east, south-east and north-east of the Melbourne central business district in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The eastern suburbs are the most populated area of Melbourne with over 2, 000, 000 residents...

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Demographics

Areas with high concentration of Sinhalese population according to the 2006 Census.
Suburb Percentage of Sinhalese
Lyndhurst, Victoria
Lyndhurst, Victoria
Lyndhurst is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 35 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is both the City of Casey and the city of Greater Dandenong....

 
2.9%
Hallam, Victoria
Hallam, Victoria
Hallam is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 35 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey...

 
2.8%
Hampton Park, Victoria
Hampton Park, Victoria
Hampton Park is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 36 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district, home to the famous photographer, Patricia Casten. Jonathan Helmy also lives here. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey...

 
2.8%
Lynbrook, Victoria
Lynbrook, Victoria
Lynbrook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 36 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey. At the 2009 Census, Lynbrook had a population of 6490....

 
2.7%
Endeavour Hills, Victoria
Endeavour Hills, Victoria
Endeavour Hills is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey...

 
2.5%
Oakleigh East, Victoria
Oakleigh East, Victoria
Oakleigh East is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located 16 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash. At the 2006 Census, Oakleigh East had a population of 5,623.-History:...

 
2.1%
Narre Warren South, Victoria
Narre Warren South, Victoria
Narre Warren South is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 41 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey...

 
2.0%
Glen Waverley, Victoria
Glen Waverley, Victoria
Glen Waverley is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 19 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash...

 
2.0%
Mount Waverley, Victoria
Mount Waverley, Victoria
Mount Waverley is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash...

 
1.7%
Chadstone, Victoria
Chadstone, Victoria
Chadstone is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash. Landmarks include the Waverley Basketball Centre, Jordanville Community Centre and the Matthew Flinders Hotel...

 
1.7%
Narre Warren, Victoria
Narre Warren, Victoria
Narre Warren is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 42 km south east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey. At the 2006 Census, Narre Warren had a population of 25,667. Narre Warren has a population density of over 2000 people per square...

 
1.4%
Cranbourne West, Victoria
Cranbourne West, Victoria
Cranbourne West is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 41 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey...

 
1.4%
Burwood, Victoria
Burwood, Victoria
Burwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is largely the City of Whitehorse but includes the City of Monash in its south west corner. At the 2006 Census, Burwood had a population of 11,886.-History:The...

 
1.4%
Berwick, Victoria
Berwick, Victoria
Berwick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey. At the 2006 Census, Berwick had a population of 36,420....

 
1.1%
Cranbourne North, Victoria
Cranbourne North, Victoria
Cranbourne North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 40 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey. At the 2006 Census, Cranbourne North had a population of 9708....

 
1.0%
Ashwood, Victoria
Ashwood, Victoria
Ashwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash...

1.0%
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