The many Chinese-owned businesses in the area reflect the community's strong entrepreneurial history which dates back to early European settlement.
SBS Cantonese broadcaster Ivan Leung said the Chinese community's entrepreneurial energy is alive and well today.
"We are a bunch of hard-working people, we can work for a long time. And we actually bring in a different culture into our commercial sectors as well."
He said Chinese small businesses had contributed to a shopping and eating culture that continues beyond the normal working day.
"We push our opening hours so people can shop in the later hours. Rather than when people are off work they can only go home."
Ivan Leung said the Cantonese program attracted loyal listeners because of radio's ability to connect through storytelling.
SBS Cantonese Broadcaster Ivan Leung Source: SBS
"In the old days, the Chinese they had storytellers. They're telling stories in the street. And while they're not just repeating the story every time they tell it, they're actually enhancing it. They reproduce it. This also works for radio as well, that's why we love to tell a story on SBS Radio."
The ebb and flow of Chinese migration to Australia
At Federation there were 30,000 Chinese people in Australia but the introduction of the Immigration Restriction Act, also commonly known as the White Australia Policy in the early 1900s, .
Many other non-European races were also largely excluded from migrating until the second half of the 20th century.
In the 2011 Census, more than 860,000 Australians identified as having Chinese ancestry, making Chinese-Australians one of the most well-established communities in the country.
Family portrait of storekeeper Al Coy, his wife and baby at St. George, Queensland. They were part of the migrants from the Guangzhou province who arrived in north Queensland in the wake of the Palmer River gold rush of the 1870s. Source: National Library of Australia
And the community's needs have evolved as it has grown.
Henry Pan is the Executive Director of Chinese Australian Service Society, which has been providing welfare services to the Chinese community since the early 1980s.
"For young migrants their needs are in childcare and also in education and knowing the health system, the tax system. In short, how to have good living in Australia so that they can settle into the community well."
Mr Pan said the Society also helped older Chinese Australians - many of whom arrived through the family reunion scheme.
Chinese fruit and vegetable merchant, possibly known as 'Vegetable John'. Source: National Library of Australia
ABS figures showed Mandarin is the most commonly spoken language after English in Australia with the number of speakers jumping from around 200,000 in 2001 to more than 330,000 in 2011.
Cantonese is also one of the most commonly spoken languages with just over 250,000 speakers.
SBS Radio Cantonese and Mandarin: A 40-year story
In China, Mandarin is the official language and Cantonese is widely spoken.
It is these two languages that have been broadcasting on SBS Radio for 40 years.
"From our perspective we are doing a daily job as journalists. It's the same everyday. But for someone it could be a life-changing thing."
Alan Qu is one of the voices behind the Mandarin program.
In the internet age, the program uses social media to promote its stories.
But with Facebook banned in China and not widely used by the Chinese diaspora in Australia, the program relies on Chinese social media programs Weibo and WeChat to promote its content.
Elsa Tsang and Francis Lee from the Cantonese Program during a broadcast at Tumbalong Park Source: SBS
"The information we publish on Weibo and WeChat, it is kind of monitored or supervised by the Chinese government as well before it is released to the public,” said Qu.
“If there is some information that is quite sensitive the information would be blocked or our account would be frozen for a little while."
Censorship in China
Alan Qu said reporting on the recent corruption allegations in China had its repercussions for the program.
"We commented on the anti-corruption issue from the Chinese government and for some sensitive words our account was frozen for three days."
But beyond social media, the program knows it has a direct impact on some of its listener's lives.
SBS Mandarin Broadcaster Alan Qu Source: SBS
Changing lives
A recent interview on the program about a domestic violence service inspired one listener to flee an abusive relationship.
"We were broadcasting this anti-domestic violence program and promoting some telephone numbers and the organisations you can go to seek help. And on that day she just grabbed the phone and called the group and got rescued."
Mr Qu said it is an example of how important the program has become in covering vital issues for the Chinese community.
"From our perspective we are doing a daily job as journalists. It's the same everyday. But for someone it could be a life-changing thing. And for some of the information we provide, sometimes it can change their lives."
