As its name suggests, Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows (MUIOOF) had its origins in Manchester, England. It was established in Melbourne in 1840 when Augustus Greeves, a member of the MUIOOF in England, migrated to Australia. On his arrival in Melbourne, Greeves teamed up with journalist Thomas Strode, to form the first lodge—The Australia Felix Lodge. The lodge received its Constitution on 7 December 1840 and this is recognised as the birth date of Manchester Unity in Victoria.
By the late nineteenth century, MU had an extensive network of lodges in metropolitan and country Victoria. A key feature of the governance of MU was the Annual Moveable Conference which met each year in a different centre and elected the organisation’s Directors for the coming year. Women were admitted to lodge membership in 1925. The Manchester Unity building at the corner of Collins and Swanston Streets in Melbourne was built between 1929 and 1932. It was the tallest building in Australia at the time and the first to have escalators. MU continued to provide sickness benefits and dispensary services to its members and extended its activities into other areas as the twentieth century progressed. In 1964 the Manchester Unity (Victoria) Permanent Building Society was established. In 1993 Manchester Unity (Victoria) merged with the Australian Natives Association to form Australian Unity.