In February 2016, the first Russian House-Museum in Australia opened in Sydney, created by the Combined Cossack Community of Australia.

Exhibitions dedicated to the old Russian emigration in Australia, 'Russian' Harbin, local Cossacks, and Old Believers were prepared for the museum's opening. The museum's director and ataman of the community, Mikhail Ovchinnikov, along with volunteers and donors from Australia and Russia, worked for a long time to create the museum. For three years, they collected exhibits telling the story of the resettlement of Russian emigrants to this distant and exotic continent.

Representatives of the Russian diplomatic corps in Australia, the Moscow House of Compatriots, the Moscow Metropolis, the Russian Historical Society of Australia, and other organizations uniting Russian compatriots, as well as public and religious figures from Australia and Russia, attended the museum's opening. The organizers and guests of the museum also visited the Consulate General of Russia in Sydney.

The museum currently has several rooms where secular and Old Believer books, as well as household items of the Cossacks from Transbaikalia in the 19th and 20th centuries, are displayed on shelves. However, particular interest is drawn to the photographs and documents reflecting the Australian period of life for Russian emigrants. One of the photographs shows dancers and singers of the Cossack choir against the backdrop of the Sydney Opera House under construction in 1969.

Mikhail Ovchinnikov expressed hope that the museum would become a true home for every Russian person in Australia who cherishes their roots, history, and culture of Russia.