About this place
What to expect
Aradale Asylum was an Australian psychiatric hospital, located in Ararat, a rural city in Victoria. Aradale was opened in 1867 and served as an asylum for psychiatric and intellectually handicapped patients until 1993. At its peak it housed almost 1,000 patients. J Ward became an annexe of Aradale in 1887 to house the criminally insane in a more secure facility. Aradale was once known as the Ararat Lunatic Asylum. Aradale and its two sister asylums at Kew and Beechworth were commissioned to accommodate the growing number of 'lunatics' in the colony of Victoria. Construction began in 1860 and was opened for patients in 1865. It was closed as an asylum in 1998. At its height, Aradale had up to 900 patients yearly and is a large complex with up to 70 interesting historic abandoned buildings. Currently, tours are run externally while safety audits are carried out on the buildings. The stories are the same as the internal tour and provide an understanding of life in Aradale. Tours run each Sunday and Wednesday and are 90 to 120 minutes in duration. Group bookings can be arranged, limited to 25 people per group. Visit their website for tour timings and bookings.