language=Arabic, Belarus, Bulgarian, English, Filipino, French, German, Greek (church), Greek (Modernmodern), Macedonian, Moldovan, Persian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slavonic (Church), Ukrainian|

population=7,525 ([[Statistics of Orthodoxy in Australia|Defective]] [http://www.cra.org.au/pages/00000226.cgi Federal Census 2001]); 37,490 (2005 internal Archdiocesan censusof active congregants)|

Similar to most other jurisdictions in Australia, and other parts of the 'diaspora', a detailed pre-early history of the Archdiocese is better told in terms of cities , which later formed a into the diocese, rather than the other way around.

The first wave of Lebanese, then called Syrian, immigration was in the 1880-1890s, where work was found in hawking and peddling goods in the country areas of the eastern states of Australia. The first place of worship was usually in the capital cities of Sydney and Melbourne, with a Greek speaking priest who also spoke Arabicand sometimes Russian too.

The Antiochian Orthodox faithful took part in the construction of a community church dedicated to the Holy Trinity in Surry Hills with the Greek and Russian Orthodox faithful. A priest was later provided by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. Due to various difficulties regarding the 1898 deposition of the Greek speaking Patriarch of Antioch and the 1899 election of an Arabic patriarch speaking Patriarch of Antioch, the Syrian community then took to meeting in individual homes, only going to the church in Surry Hills for necessities.

In 1913, Father [[Nicholas Shehadie]] was sent to Australia as Exarch to determine the extent of the problem and to find possible solutions. However, while While this was intended to be temporary, World War I intervened meaning that preventing Father Nicholas could not return from returning to Lebanon where his family wasresided. Hence, his stay became permanent. He realised the need for a church for the Antiochian Orthodox, and determined to built build it, with the . Divine Liturgy being was held in parishioners' homes until that time.

The State Government leased a block of land to the Church on the corner of Walker and Redfern Sts, Streets Redfern, and the . The first Antiochian Orthodox church was built there and placed under the patronage of Saint George.

In 1934, Exarch Nicholas Shehadie , suffering from chronic asthma, reposed, in his early 70s. Then his second son, [[Michael Shehadie|Michael]], became a priest. During the time of his presbyterate at the Church of St Saint George, the government lease expired. Fr Michael worked with the government to find a new site and, in 1950, they were granted land at the corner of Walker and Cooper Sts, Redfern, where the church - now cathedral - stands today. However, Fr Michael never saw it built. In 1951, aged 56, he reposed.

By the early twentieth century, an amount a significant number of Lebanese had settled in Melbourne. These families kept in contact with each other, working as hawkers, shopkeepers , or wholesalers , during the week , and using the weekend for social activities and, on Sundays, including meeting in the Exhibition Gardenson Sundays.

The first Greek Orthodox Church church in Melbourne, Holy Annunciation, was established in East Melbourne; the . The establishment of this community church was aided a joint effort by the Antiochian Greek speaking Orthodox, Arabic speaking Orthodox, and Russian speaking Orthodox. The services were in both Greek and Arabic, the . The altar boys servers were of Greek and Lebanese /Syrian descent, some . Some of the icons were donated by Lebanese/Syrians, and the first warden was Lebanese. By the 1920s, however, Holy Annunciation became a predominately Greek speaking church with a priest who could not speak Arabic.

Special By the 1920s Lebanese/Syrians, were only attending special services at Holy Annunciation were attended by the Lebanese, such as weddings, baptisms and funerals; and some would choose . Some chose to send their children to attend Sunday school at Anglican or Protestant churches, but neither where the common language (English) was used. But none of these this truly met the needs of the Lebanese /Syrian community: despite lacking . They shared their own Orthodox place of worship for up to forty years, until the desire to establish their own church was not dimmedexcesses of Greek nationalism drove them out. By the late 1920s, it was deemed the right time obviously necessary to found a their own Arabic speaking church.

In 1929, James Batrouney visited Lebanon/Syria, met Archimandrite [[Antonious (Mobayed)]], and on his return to Melbourne, Archim. Antonios Antonious was recommended as a suitable priest for the church in Melbourne. Patriarch Arsanios of Antioch commissioned Archim. Antonious as the first priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Victoria, arriving . He arrived on 12 Nov 1931.

Archim. Antonious was well suited, having graduated from Balamand Theological Seminary and Kiev Theological Academy and speaking fluent Arabic, Russian and Greek. Formerly representative to the Church of Russia for 15 years, the Communist Revolution forced Archim. Antonious to return to Lebanon in 1929. On his arrival in Melbourne, Archim. Antonios Antonious brought and donated everything essential for the celebration of the Divine Liturgy; some . Some of these items can still be found at St. Saint Nicholas Church today.

The first services were held in St. Saint George's Anglican Mission, the beginning of a long and amicable relationship between Anglicans and Orthodox in Victoria. In March 1932 the community purchased a church, where St. Saint Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church stands today, using four £125 donations from John Batrouney, Joseph & Walter Davis, and Alex Malouly. The iconostasis, was based on Stthe iconostasis of the Holy Resurrection Cathedral, Surugadai, in the Kanda district of Tokyo, Japan, which was all but destroyed in the Great Kanto earthquake and fire of 1923. Nicholas The Tokyo cathedral of the Japanese Orthodox Church (which was granted Independent status by the Russian Orthodox Churchin 1907), was commonly called 'nikolai-do' after Japan, 's first bishop (now Saint) Nikolai Kasatkin. The iconostasis in Melbourne was completed by Palm Sunday, 1932, when the first service was held in the Church.

At the first council meeting of May 1932, the majority favoured the name St. Saint Anthony, in honour of the their first priest; , however, many preferred St. Saint George. To settle the dispute, Archim. Antonious placed 12 names in a bag on the altar and George Facoory, the oldest member of the community, drew out St. Saint Nicholas. The church was consecrated on 1 October 1933 by Metropolitan [[Timotheos (Evangelinidis) of Rhodes|Timotheos]], the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia. The consecration, attended by Rev. F.E. Maynard (Anglican) and the Greek and French consuls, was chanted in Arabic, English, Greek , and Slavonic.

St. Saint Nicholas included both Arabic members and Russian members, the latter group contributing to bringing Archim. Antonious to Australia, converting the church into an Orthodox church, writing icons , and organising a choir, which would chant the Liturgy in Slavonic on every fourth Sunday. When the Russians established their first church in Melbourne in the early 1950s, the committee of St. Saint Nicholas donated a Slavonic Bible in memory of Archim. AntoniosAntonious, and as a symbol of the enduring friendship between the Syrian/Lebanese and the Russians.

Archim. Antonious did many things, organising choirs , and teaching the youth the service in Arabic, travelling . He travelled to Sydney, Adelaide and New Zealand to raise funds, making the church complete with all necessities and trappings for Orthodox services, organising . He organised a youth society which provided for Orthodox youth growing in their faith, marrying in the Church , and acclimatising to their country of residence.

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Following in the footsteps of his father and elder brother, John Shehadie became a priest. Fr John served at St George church for a short time, after which he founded St Saint Nicholas Church, Punchbowl, following one of the first directives of Bishop Gibran. Fr John served here until his 1987 retirement.

The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese is a single archdiocese spanning a number of countries. The Archbishop resides in Australia, there is a Deanery for New Zealand, and presences in other countries of the region. There are 25 [[parish]]es and missions across Australia, 8 parishes and missions in the Deanery of New Zealand, and approximately 37,500 congregants in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand , and All Oceania. The Archdiocese also has one female monastery of [[Monastery of St Anna (Preston, Australia)|St Anna]] in Victoria, and founded the multi-jurisdictional [[Melbourne Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies]].

The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand, and All Oceania, was a founding member of [[Eastern Hierarchs]]. The Antiochian Archdiocese believes that this is a friendly, effective organisation, working for the love of God spreading throughout the whole mystery of His Church.