Simon Reich Music Presents

Bonegilla - The Migrants' Journey

"Bonegilla-The migrant's journey" has been playing to sold out venues around Australia.

Inspiration for the show

Australia has been founded on immigration, but how much do you know of the wave of post war migrants that shaped this country?

After World War 2, there were millions of displaced people searching for homes and a new start. Australia committed itself to accepting boatloads of these
refugees. “Bonegilla-The migrant’s journey”, charts the “New Australian’s” time during the war, their travel by ships to the other side of the world, their arrival in a land they knew nothing about. Being housed in spartan migrant camps and their eventual acceptance of Australia as their new home.

Simon Reich has a passion for migrants, as he is a child of a German immigrant that arrived in Australia post war. 

After the success of the award winning podcast "Up from the Rubble" Simon made about his father, he has been travelling the country interviewing people who passed through the Bonegilla Migrant Camp in Albury / Wodonga. Simon's skill as a composer, was used extensively in the audio documentary and now he wants to share the whole immersive experience with you as a live music, soundscape and multi video screen performance. The performance shows firsthand interviews of post war migrants from various European countries and their photos, home movies and documents.

The shows musical soundtrack is played by a grand piano and violin live on stage and also features immersive sound design.