Temple Re-opening
The Temple will be open every day from 1 January to 28 February 2025 to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the year of the Serpent.
The See Yup Temple was recognised by the National Trust (Victoria) as being of heritage significance to the State of Victoria as early as 1964 and it was one of the first buildings placed on the Victorian Heritage Register in 1974.
The See Yup Temple has been a site of worship for people from southern China for nearly 170 years. It has been maintained by the See Yup Society in Melbourne since that time and is the oldest Chinese temple in Australia. However, the Temple has been closed for worship since 17 February 2024 when a devastating fire, caused by an electrical fault, badly damaged the main hall of the temple. Thankfully none of the temple Gods were damaged. It will be some years before the necessary repairs are completed.
You can make a tax-deductible donation via our National Trust Restoration Appeal to support repairs to the temple. Donations will only be spent on restoration works.
In the meantime, a temporary temple to Kwan Tai 關帝 (Guan Di) has been established in the temple gardens and will be open for worship during Lunar New Year in 2025. The Kwun Yum 觀音 (Guan Yin) Pavillion, the Choi San 财星 (Cai Xing) hall and the three ancestral halls in the temple are also open for worship at this time.
The See Yup temple is open every day from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm from 1 January to 28 February 2025 and will open for 24 hours during Lunar New Year's eve.
The temple community and heritage professionals are working together to rebuild and restore the temple. Learn what we are doing and how you can help.