Melbourne Australia Temple

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Melbourne Australia Temple
Number	90	edit data
Announcement	1998-10-30
Groundbreaking	1999-03-20 by P. Bruce Mitchell
Open House	2 June - 10 June 2000
Dedication	2000-06-16 by Gordon B. Hinckley
Location	76 Cathies Lane Wantirna South, Victoria Australia
Phone number	(61) 3-9881-9700
Site	5.98 acres (2.4 hectares)
Total floor area	10,700 sq ft (990 m²)
Exterior finish	Snow white granite of Campolonghi, Italy
Temple design	Classic modern, single-spire design
Ordinance rooms	2
Sealing rooms	2
Clothing rental	No
Cafeteria	No services
Visitors' center	No
Preceded by	Adelaide Australia Temple
Followed by	Suva Fiji Temple
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The Melbourne Australia Temple is the 90th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On October 30, 1998 the First Presidency of the Mormon Church 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 1950's 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 Mormon Church the fastest growing Christian church in the country.

On March 20, 1999 a groundbreaking ceremony and site dedication was held. The site for the temple is 5.98 acres and is also the site of a meetinghouse. The temple was open to the public for tours June 2-10, 2000. Those who toured the 10,700 square foot temple were able to see the stunning craftsmanship, the Celestial room, two sealing rooms, two ordinance rooms, baptistery, and learn more about Mormon beliefs.

President of the Mormon Church, Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Melbourne Australia Temple on June 16, 2000. Four dedicatory services were held to accommodate all the members that wanted to attend. The Melbourne Temple serves 18,000 members in eight stakes from Victoria, Tasmania, and Southern New South Wales.