The Presbyterian Home for Mothers and Babies (also known as Koolkuna) was located in Redcliffe. The Home opened in around 1968 and continued to operate until around 1974. After it closed, it was converted by the Presbyterian Church into a Family Care Home, and later a refuge to provide emergency care and support to women…
The Margaret Hallstrom Home for Unmarried Mothers opened in Marion Street, Leichhardt in 1968 by the Central Methodist Mission. The exact closing date of the Margaret Hallstrom Home for Unmarried Mothers is unknown, but it is believed to have closed around 1977. The need for a new Home for unmarried pregnant women was identified in…
St Vincent’s Hostel was opened in 1924 by the Christian Brothers in Albert Park for boys who had been apprenticed in the city but could not afford to pay private board. St Vincent’s Hostel closed in June 1967. Despite objections to the hostel opening by neighbours, on 24 August 1924 St Vincent’s Hostel opened at…
St Ann’s was established on 3rd March 1896 as a sub-reformatory of the Brookside Reformatory for Protestant Girls. Like the Brookside Reformatory, St Ann’s provided reformatory training to girls prior to them being sent to domestic service placements. It was located on a farm a few miles from Heywood in Western Victoria, and was variously…
The Benevolent Institution for Aboriginal Children was opened in April 1847 by the Sisters of Mercy, Perth Congregation as a Home for Indigenous children or non-Indigenous children considered to be orphaned or destitute. It was a small institution and soon became only for girls. In 1849, a small cottage was built, and 12 girls were…
The Citizens Welfare Service Hostel for Girls, at 10 Fernhurst Grove, Kew, opened in 1964. It accommodated young women experiencing family problems, as well as young women who had spent their childhood in institutions and had ‘little experience of family life’. Up to 10 young women could be at the hostel at any one time….
On 2 June 1874 the the Christian Brothers opened St Vincent de Paul Orphanage for Boys in South Melbourne. The Orphanage was created following the split of the St Vincent de Paul Orphanage into two, boys’ and girls’ orphanages. In 1967, the Orphanage became the St Vincent de Paul Boys’ Home. Since closing, the St…
The Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind, which was known as The Victorian Asylum and School for the Blind until 1891, opened in Melbourne in 1866. Its aim was to provide accommodation, school and occupational training for up to 120 blind and vision impaired children and adults. It was initially located in a rented house…
The St Vincent de Paul Orphanage, Prahran was established in 1854 by Father Gerald Ward under the auspices of the St Vincent de Paul Society. It was located off the High Holborn Road, later known as High Street, Prahran. The Orphanage provided temporary accommodation for a small number of Catholic children who were orphaned, or…
Karinya Young Women’s Shelter is an organisation that provides short term crisis accommodation to young women aged 13 to 20 years old. It was originally established in Launceston in 1979 on a feminist-based collective model. In 2020 Karinya can provide crisis accommodation for up to six young women at a time, and also runs a…
Dec 17, 2025
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024