The organisations Din l-Art Helwa and Ambjent Malta celebrated the revival of an important part of local history yesterday, with the assembly of the Australian Bungalow at Ta’ Qali.

The Australian Bungalow is a structure brought to Malta in the early 1920s to enable those Maltese planning to migrate to Australia to adapt themselves to their new environment, through learning to dismantle and rebuild such structures. The British encouraged the migration to other Commonwealth colonies so that the limited resources of the islands could support the naval base.

The bungalow was first located in the Migrants Training Centre in the Bugeja Technical Institute at Hamrun, but in 1930 it was transferred to the Government Experimental Farm in Ghammieri. Here it was used as a venue for lectures in agriculture and farming, as well as for exhibitions, parties and spiritual exercises for the employees. At one time it even featured a kitchen adjacent to it, however this was eventually removed.

This structure is believed to be the only surviving one of its kind from all the Commonwealth countries, and thus provides an important reminder of Malta’s rich history.

Had you ever heard of the Australian Bungalow?