Far from the days of British colonial rule and strict Christianity, Australia's religious diversity is increasing every year.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics' 2021 census found Christianity had decreased by another one million people, with more than 38 per cent of people opting for "no religion".
But as Christianity declines, the number of Australians who follow other faiths including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism are on the rise.
Immigration has driven much of the increase, with more migrants either escaping persecution or opting to seek a new life on Australian shores, and bringing their long-held faiths with them.
It's a story familiar to Logan City, in south-east Queensland, home to more than 350,000 people from 234 cultures.
Now one of Australia's most multicultural communities, Logan's diversity makes it a microcosm of faiths, many working together for the good of the broader community.
Across the city, temples, churches, mosques and places of worship have sprung up to call the faithful to prayer and service, while offering a peaceful haven for those in need.
The Hindu temple
The yellow spire of the Sri Selva Vinayakar temple flashes past in an instant, rising out of the trees in a bright moment of unexpected beauty on the workmanlike Mount Lindsay Highway, on the south side of Logan.
Across the threshold, the interior is bright with colour and motion, from the central shrine where the priests lead worship, or poojas, each morning, to smaller shrines in each corner.
Nalayini Jeyarajan is a lifelong Hindu and a volunteer at the temple.
For her, the ancient faith of Hinduism is a way of life.
It's one of the oldest religions globally, dating back more than 5,000 years, and now the third-largest faith system in the world.
"A lot of people think Hinduism is a polytheistic religion – no, we believe in one Supreme Being, he's called Brahma.
"In India, every village has a goddess or a god, which they keep and pray to, but in actual fact there's no millions of gods walking around – there's only one true reality, we call it Brahma."
The temple is central to Hindu life, Dr Jeyarajan said, with key moments celebrated or mourned with the appropriate prayers and poojas, led by dedicated priests.
It's not just a place for Hindus, however, with many locals visiting for festivals or family events, or simply to find out more and experience the Hindu faith.
"For Sri Lankan and Indian community, and a lot of Australians as well, they believe and they come," Dr Jeyarajan said.
"Anyone is welcome."
The Mosque
High on a hill in the busy central suburbs of Logan, the Slacks Creek Mosque is open for the midday prayer.
As Muslims arrive and quietly kneel on the lush red carpet in the mosque's central room, Imam Akram Buksh leads the call, the lilting 'Allahu Akbar'.
"[In] Islam there are many fundamentals, but the main fundamental is that we submit to God," Imam Buksh said.
"To believe in one Creator, and to believe in Prophet Muhammad as the final messenger. A Muslim is one who submits to the oneness of God."
Islam shares many similarities with Christianity and Judaism, but for Muslims, the Quran is the guide for daily life, revealed to the prophet Muhammad 1,400 years ago.
"In it are our rules and regulations of life, how we should live our life as a believer, how to treat others," Imam Buksh said.
Of all the religions that contribute to Logan's diversity, globally Islam has faced the most stigma and suspicion, dealing with the repercussions from 9/11 through international wars, and countries brutally oppressed in the name of the religion.
"One of the biggest challenges that we face is that, unfortunately, there are certain so-called groups of people that claiming, you know, to represent us and they don't," Imam Buksh said.
"Unfortunately, that version of Islam – which is not Islam – is given the limelight, and then what happens to us? We are the ones that suffer, unfortunately, with misrepresentation.
"It is challenging, I'm not going to lie. It is very, very, very challenging."
But he is not discouraged, pointing to increasing efforts across Logan City to share each religion's best elements – community, openness, and support for each other.
"My message to our Logan brothers and sisters from different faiths and different communities is come and visit us," he said.
"Hopefully God willing, when people learn more about the faith, they will understand that it is without a doubt, a religion of peace."
The Buddhist temple
Like the Hindu temple, as you drive around north Logan suburbs you catch glimpses of a Chinese pagoda floating above the trees in the distance.
The sprawling, golden Fo Guang Shan Chung Tian Temple in Priestdale is nestled in thick bushland, creating an oasis of calm in the city.
The architecture of a seven-tired pagoda harks back to the Tang Dynasty, while a whole new complex of temple buildings is close to completion.
Venerable Chueh Chang said the humanistic Buddhist temple was built in the early 1990s and has been serving the community and sharing the Buddhist way of life ever since.
"Buddha is a real person, not a god. He was born in India 2,600 years ago. He was a prince … he lived in luxury life," Venerable Chang said.
"In Indian society, many people renounced as a monk to search for peace. It was the same for Buddha, when he went out of the palace he found the suffering and the aging and sickness and death of people.
"He cannot understand why he feel [many] suffering. He want to search the truth. So he renounced, and sitting under the Bodhi tree to attain enlightenment."
The Chung Tian temple is one of many founded by Hsing Yun, whose focus on humanistic Buddhism places the living at the centre of the religion, integrating Buddhist principles of altruism and joy into everyday life.
That practical approach leaves the temple feeling loved and welcoming – community events, festivals, and daily classes means there are always people walking quietly through the elegant gardens and long rooms.
"It's all welcome for everyone to come, for education. You can learn meditation, Chinese, or yoga, have vegetarian food, a cooking class," Venerable Chang said.
The Sikh temple
Not far from the Chung Tian Temple, a large white building in Eight Mile Plains became a welcoming hub for people in need during COVID.
The Brisbane Sikh Temple was built in the late 1980s and has been open ever since for prayer and meditation, or simply for a hot meal or friendly face.
Sikhism is one of the fastest-growing religions in Australia, driven largely by more Punjabi and Indian migrants arriving each year.
It was founded by Guru Nanak Dev Ji in the 1400s, the first of 10 Sikh gurus to guide and establish the faith globally.
"The three principles of the Sikh religion is that [you] do the meditation, do the hard work, and it should be the honest work, and whatever you earn, you should share with the needy people as well," temple secretary Surinder Singh said.
"So in the Sikh religion there is not any casteism, and there is equality between men and women."
The Sikh temple is quiet on a weekday afternoon, a handful of men and women sitting in meditation around the holy book at the centre of the large room.
But it's a different story on weekends and for festivals, when thousands of Sikhs and locals visit to celebrate, meditate, and share a meal.
During COVID, Mr Singh said the temple became a haven for students and elderly locals cut off from study or income.
More than 20,000 meals and 2,000 food hampers were distributed to hungry locals, all cooked from the temple's industrial kitchen.
Other religions quickly chipped in, helping to ensure no-one was left hungry during lockdowns.
"We had a good really good experience during the COVID time, we had people from the Islamic community and from the Bengali community as well, those came and they put their contribution as well," Mr Singh said.
"They knew that the Sikh temple is helping to the needy people. And that's why a lot of people from the different beliefs helped as well."
