On a bush block on the industrial outskirts of Bendigo, a minaret rises from the facade of the city’s first mosque. The site has no fences, making it visible from adjacent roads – a deliberate choice by the Bendigo Islamic Community Centre to create an “open mosque”. Sameer Syed, vice-president of the centre, said: “We wanted something very welcoming … very open, very visible. Just drop in, have a coffee.” Aisha Neelam, the centre’s spokesperson, added: “People can come meet a Muslim.”
The project faced fierce opposition more than a decade ago, becoming a rallying point for right-wing extremists. In 2015, a mock beheading staged by United Patriots Front leader Blair Cottrell outside the council chambers led to Victoria’s first racial vilification conviction. A High Court challenge to stop the mosque failed in 2016. However, a grassroots campaign called Believe in Bendigo and outreach work by Muslim leaders helped shift community sentiment. Neelam said the community chose to see the ugly scenes as “not even a blip in our whole story”, adding: “The highlight is all the people that did the work … the cohesion the mosque created in the community, not the division.”
The centre is now preparing to use its first completed building – a multipurpose space – in the coming weeks, pending an occupancy permit. Friday prayers and activities will be held there, with a formal opening hoped for early 2026. The mosque, still under construction, will eventually accommodate about 375 people, alongside a sports and community centre and an outdoor courtyard. Syed said: “Our vision has always been that this mosque is not just for the Muslim communities, it’s for Bendigo.”
Funding for the project came from grants totalling just over $1 million, but the majority was raised through donations, with fundraisers held in Melbourne, Sydney and Ballarat. “There’s a lot of community spirit that’s gone into this,” Neelam said. “There’s a lot of love, a lot of heart.” For the past 20 years, the Muslim community had used a small student room at La Trobe University for prayers and hired community halls for Ramadan celebrations. The new centre aims to continue hosting workshops and school groups, with Syed emphasising the need to “normalise the Muslim community”.
