Melbourne Australia Temple

On 30 October 1998 the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that a temple would be built in Melbourne, Australia. The Melbourne Australia Temple is one of five temples in Australia. Previously, members from the area had traveled twelve hours one-way to visit the Sydney Australia Temple.

Missionary work was slow in Australia until the 1950s when the number of people joining the Church suddenly exploded. In 1955 there were 3,000 members in Australia, just five short years later there were almost 10,000. By 1970 the number of members more than tripled to 32,000. In 1980 it had jumped to 50,000. Today there are more than 100,000 members in Australia, making The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the fastest growing Christian church in the country.