About us
The Toula Museum of Australia Inc. is dedicated to documenting and teaching, as well as projecting and promoting to the Australian Public, the art, history and science of the Village of Toula, North Lebanon, as well as the Country of Lebanon and the greater geographical area of ancient Phoenicia.
Through the online Permanent Exhibitions hosted by the Museum, visitors will be provided with experiences and an understanding of the Village of Toula, North Lebanon, as well as Lebanon and Phoenicia.
The Toula Museum of Australia holds events and temporary exhibitions that provide further insight into life in Toula as a living tradition; as well as those that brought these traditions to Australian shores. A state-of-the art highlight is portrayed in the Annual Saint Assia Feast Day Temporary Exhibition, usually held in October each year, where the events of the traditional Saint Assia Feast Say, in Toula, North Lebanon, are re-lived and shared with members of the Australian Public.
The Toula Museum of Australia Inc first came into existence on 6 November 2009 and His Excellency, Bishop Ad Abi Karam, Maronite Bishop of Australia, officially declared the Toula Museum of Australia open, on 25 February 2010. Since its opening, it has quickly become a valued and well respected Museum within the Australian Community.
The story of this Museum begins many hundreds of years ago, when the Village of Toula, North Lebanon, was founded. The Museum tells the history of Toulanians in Australia and illustrates the richness of the life of Toulanians by showing their traditions. Major features of the Museum include Permanent Exhibitions (through this website) and the Annual Gala Dinner and Temporary Exhibition of St Assia. The Museum is an online Museum. The Museum holds books and documents that form part of an in-house Library, as well as some original artefacts and objects. These documents, photographs and objects and artefacts are not usually on physicsal display permanently, but rather are held in the custody of a Museum Volunteer. At Temporary Exhibitions that are scheduled from time to time, a selection of the objects are made available for viewing by those in attendance.
The collections of objects held by the Toula Museum of Australia, including but not limited to its permanent and temporary exhibitions, represent a range of objects and artefacts that relate to the life, history and culture of the inhabitants of Toula and the greater Lebanon region. The Museum acknowledges that different interpretations can be made on the basis of different historical perspectives some visitors may have of these items. The Museum invites all members of the public to express their views to us and respects any comments that may be made. We will use this feedback to better our services to the Australian public and more efficiently comply with our mission and objectives. The Policies under which the Museum operates are available for public inspection upon request.