, one of Melbourne's most identifiable structures designed by Greek Australian Nonda Katsalidis. Modern Greek civilisation in Melbourne is perpetuated by three Greek Australian day schools, dozens of after-hours 'Greek schools', a network of aged care and welfare societies, many community and cultural organisations, brotherhoods, youth groups, and sporting clubs. The
Neos Kosmos newspaper serves the community. The
Hellenic Museum located in Melbourne's CBD tells the ongoing story of the Greeks in Melbourne and houses the
Hellenic Foundation for Culture's centre. Furthermore, the
World Council of Hellenes Abroad maintains a presence in the city. Hellenic student organisations are present at all seven universities located in Melbourne and maintain a high participation rate by Greek students. The National Union of Greek Australian Students (NUGAS) is based in Melbourne. Additionally, the
American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, dedicated to Hellenic ideals of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family and individual excellence, possesses a chapter in Melbourne. The Greeks of Melbourne have made a rich contribution to Victorian society through achieving a high level of educational attainment and business ownership. Melbourne's physical landscape has been shaped by Hellenic influence: the
Eureka Tower, the tallest building in Melbourne's skyline, was designed by Greek Australian
Nonda Katsalidis. Additionally, many of Melbourne's landmarks feature prominent Greek designs including
Parliament House, the
Shrine of Remembrance and the
State Library. Additionally, the new gallery NGV Contemporary (expected to be completed by 2025) is set to become Melbourne's international iconic landmark. The winning design is that of Greek Australian architect Angelo Candalepas. The experience is focused around the visually arresting ‘omphalos’ (the Greek word for the centre of the earth): a central spherical gallery that soars more than 40 metres upwards through all levels of the building, connecting to a lantern in the sky. Australia's democratic and multicultural atmosphere has allowed Greek culture and community life to flourish in Melbourne. Over the years, various events have been held in Melbourne to remember the state-sponsored destruction of Greek communities in various parts of the world as a result of the
Greek genocide and
Greek Operation of the NKVD. In March 2021, Melbourne's Greek community received $200,000 from the Victorian Government to fund events commemorating the 200th anniversary of
Greek Independence. Preservation of Greek culture and community is extremely important to the Greeks. One study investigating the 54 most common ethnic groups in Australia found that Greek Australians had the lowest rate of intermarriage (marrying outside their ethnicity) than every other race in the first, second and third generations. Generally, intermarriage results in a loss of culture in the subsequent generation unless engagement with Greek language and education is introduced early and maintained throughout childhood. As observed among other ethnic groups, children born to mixed marriages are much less likely to marry someone of a similar background and the original culture is completely lost within just two generations. Despite Greek Australians exhibiting the lowest rate of intermarriage in the country, the
Greek Orthodox Church in Australia reports that the number of Greeks marrying non-Greek spouses is increasing in recent years. Children born to mixed-marriage Greek families more often than not embrace their Hellenic heritage and the appeal of Greek culture in these instances creates an opportunity for the community to grow in number rather than diminish. == Culture ==