The Melbourne Benevolent Asylum opened in 1851. Due to a lack of other institutions in the colony at the time it was established, the Benevolent Asylum initially accommodated a wide range of people in need. This included children, until 1857 when children were transferred to the Melbourne Orphan Asylum at its new site in Emerald…
The Destitute Asylum was established in Adelaide by the Destitute Board in 1851. It provided accommodation for the destitute, including children and a separate lying-in Home for pregnant girls. Following the passage of the Destitute Persons Relief Act 1866, children living at the Destitute Asylum were removed to the Exhibition Building, North Terrace in 1866…
The Liverpool Asylum for the Infirm and Destitute was run by the New South Wales Government from 1862 until 1933. It had formerly been the Liverpool Asylum, run by the Benevolent Society. The Asylum provided refuge for men, including youths, described at the time as being “poor and infirm”. Those residents able to assist in…
The Liverpool Asylum was an asylum operated by the Benevolent Society of New South Wales from 1851 to 1862. It was for infirm and destitute men. It was taken over by the New South Wales Government in 1862 and renamed the Liverpool Asylum for the Infirm and Destitute. Records of the Hospital and Home were…
The Thomas Street Asylum was established by the Benevolent Society of New South Wales in 1904. It was the only hospital in the city for destitute and homeless mothers nursing their infants. The Asylum also cared for orphans and foundlings who were usually discharged to the care of the State Children’s Relief Department. In 1911…
The Benevolent Asylum, run by the Benevolent Society of New South Wales, was opened in 1821 by Governor Macquarie. It issued poor relief and took in the poor, destitute, disabled and aged but its main focus was pregnant women and children. The Benevolent Asylum closed in 1901 as the land was resumed by the government…
The Ballarat Benevolent Asylum opened in 1859, in a building in Ascot Street. Until institutions specifically for children were established in Ballarat, many children were housed there. The Ballarat Benevolent Asylum closed its doors to children in 1869. Surviving records of the Benevolent Asylum include admission registers (1859-1900) and annual general reports (1859-1970). These records…
In 1868, the Victorian government established an Industrial School within the grounds of the Bendigo (or Sandhurst) Benevolent Asylum. ‘Neglected’ children had been housed at the Asylum since it was founded in 1860.The Asylum closed in 1885. A copy of the Bendigo Benevolent Asylum Industrial School Children’s Register 1868 – 1885 is held at the…