Mayday Hills Hospital (Beechworth Lunatic Asylum) was established in 1867. The total cost of the Beechworth Asylum was almost 108,000 pounds. The plan of the Asylum, which was in the form of a giant E, matched that adopted at Ararat and at the new Metropolitan Asylum at Kew. It operated for almost 130 years until its closure in 1995. During this time it grew to incorporate nearly 53 buildings spread across an 11 hectare site, at its peak accommodating over 1,000 patients.
Today, its gardens (planted as a botanical garden of exotic trees and shrubs in the late 19th century) and most of the infrastructure remains, part is now a campus of La Trobe University, accommodation and a restaurant run by the catering course of the uni, a Child Care Centre, and the base for Ghost Tours of the dilapidated sections.
Coincidentally, Mayday Hill was named by the then Lieutenant Governor, Charles Joseph La Trobe, after whom the La Trobe University is named, when he visited the area in 1852.
You can compare this Gatehouse to the derelict one at Ararat in the previous post.
While the design of the two institutions are remarkably similar, one major difference is the frontage, at Beechworth, a fountain was erected in 1887 with a large part of the labour being done by Asylum staff, it has since been removed due to drainage problems, while Aradale still has the remains of the fountain, its pond (currently dry) and balustrade.
Finally this photo taken at Ararat is what I'm calling my Narnia shot. It is so reminiscent of the lamp-post from "The lion, the witch and the wardrobe", and it can snow in Ararat!
Mayday Hills Hospital (Beechworth Lunatic Asylum) was established in 1867. The total cost of the Beechworth Asylum was almost 108,000 pounds. The plan of the Asylum, which was in the form of a giant E, matched that adopted at Ararat and at the new Metropolitan Asylum at Kew. It operated for almost 130 years until its closure in 1995. During this time it grew to incorporate nearly 53 buildings spread across an 11 hectare site, at its peak accommodating over 1,000 patients. 
Today, its gardens (planted as a botanical garden of exotic trees and shrubs in the late 19th century) and most of the infrastructure remains, part is now a campus of La Trobe University, accommodation and a restaurant run by the catering course of the uni, a Child Care Centre, and the base for Ghost Tours of the dilapidated sections.
You can compare this Gatehouse to the derelict one at Ararat in the previous post.
While the design of the two institutions are remarkably similar, one major difference is the frontage, at Beechworth, a fountain was erected in 1887 with a large part of the labour being done by Asylum staff, it has since been removed due to drainage problems, while Aradale still has the remains of the fountain, its pond (currently dry) and balustrade.
Finally this photo taken at Ararat is what I'm calling my Narnia shot. It is so reminiscent of the lamp-post from "The lion, the witch and the wardrobe", and it can snow in Ararat!
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