The Chinese restaurant has long been a ubiquitous sight in nearly every Australian town and city.

But the story of Chinese cuisine in Australia is intertwined with a complex cultural history.

Food historians are continuing to find new and surprising stories about the evolution of the humble Chinese diner down under.

Chefs say the range of dishes on offer has changed over the years. ( Supplied )

Historian Barbara Nichol specialises in the history of Chinese food culture in Australia.

She was in Canberra this week to present a lecture on the topic at the National Library of Australia, with colleague Julie Stacker.

Ms Nichol said Chinese food came to Australia with the indentured labourers that arrived in the mid-19th century.

"Chinese labourers came into the country to work on outback stations," said Ms Nichol.

"Many of those found work cooking on stations and also in country pubs."

Chinese migration to Australia exploded with the gold rush in the 1850s.

Some migrants opened small food stores called "cookhouses" to serve the Chinese diggers hot meals, but Australian workers sometimes ate there too.

By 1890, one third of all cooks in Australia were Chinese.

Family connections often hidden due to White Australia policy

In 1890 one third of all cooks in Australia were Chinese. ( Supplied )

Gradually, Chinese cookhouses in the goldfields began to seek out western customers with Melbourne's Chinatown precinct established by the late 1800s.

But anti-Chinese sentiment flared up on the goldfields and measures were implemented to make the immigration of Chinese miners more difficult and expensive in Victoria.

Sorry, this video has expired Flashback to 1972: A short excerpt from an ABC Weekend Magazine program on life for Australia's Chinese community.

It is widely known that Chinese migration to Australia ground to a halt with the introduction of the White Australia policy in 1901.

But it is less commonly known that exceptions to the rules were granted for chefs.

From 1934, local Chinese traders with established businesses — including restaurants — were able to apply to bring in workers from China.

"They took the opportunity to bring in mostly family members under a different name," said Ms Nichol.

Existing migrants were not permitted to bring in relatives, so any familial connection had to be hidden.

"As a result, many of these 'cooks' had no cooking experience whatsoever," said Ms Nichol.

So they learnt on the job.

By the 1960s and 1970s, Chinese restaurants had opened up in every city and many country towns.

Happy's restaurant in same family for three generation

Several generations of Gavin Chan's family have owned and run the restaurant. ( Supplied )

The oldest Chinese restaurant in Canberra is still going strong.

Opened in 1962, Happy's brought a foreign cuisine to a very small population.

Manager Gavin Chan said his grandfather worked in market gardens before opening the restaurant.

Mr Chan says his grandfather was renowned for his smiling hospitality.

He did not speak much English, and Happy was even recorded as his surname on his passport.

Like many of Australia's first Chinese restaurants, Happy's gained an instant following among shift workers who needed nourishment after a late night.

"A lot of rugby players used to come in, apparently, after their games on Saturday night," said Mr Chan.

Chinese restaurants in Australian cities tended to stay open after other eateries and drinking establishments closed.

Happy's has been in the same family for three generations, with Gavin Chan taking over in 2008.

Lots of sweet and sour pork used to be on the menu

Happy's Chinese restaurant in Canberra opened in 1962. ( Supplied )

Mr Chan said the range of dishes on offer has changed over the years.

"Back in the days, I remember my father and uncle telling me it was lots of sweet and sour pork, and beef and black bean, and fried rice," he said.

Ms Nichol said Chinese cooks often accommodated local preferences in their menus.

"Cuisines start to change very quickly — they adapt, " she said.

"It wasn't long before steak, for example, started to appear in some of the menus in Melbourne's Chinatown in the 1930s".

Now, Chinese ingredients — unheard of 20 years ago — make regular appearances in Australian kitchens.

"We've moved on from the sweet and sour pork," said Mr Chan.

"Australians wouldn't accept tofu at all once.

"Now it's a popular dish."