Academics have been accused of studying everything but themselves and this has been seen as a notable failure among those who are concerned with assisting others to understand the modern world. This failure is especially noticeable with respect to research on those individuals who inhabit the less prestigious institutions and teach less prestigious disciplines. Too often research has focused on individuals in a few elite institutions and disciplines. In the area of academic migration there is a surprising lack of research on most groups of academics. This article examines aspects of migration to a non-elite Australian institution by a group of individuals during the period 1965-1982. What led this group of individuals, which included persons from France, Great Britain, Canada, North America, New Guinea and India to select a career at a small provincial college of advanced education--Bendigo College of Advanced Education (BCAE)--one of Australia's oldest and smallest colleges of advanced education? What were some of the influences operating? This article examines migration to this non-elite institution in its broader social context and investigates some of the local dynamics of migration. This is because it cannot be assumed that developments in mainstream and elite institutions are the norm due to the enormous diversity and complexity among institutions of higher education and their histories and development. Studies of such "peripheral institutions" and their staff allows for an examination of "the local and provincial as informing elements" and assists in determining the extent to which universities and their activities develop as part of local variations. (Contains 81 notes.)