Winbin, in Strathfield, was opened by the Department of Youth and Community Services in 1975 as a hostel for wards of the state who were of working-age as well as some who were pregnant. It had previously been a home for preschool-aged children. In 1983 Winbin catered to girls aged 15 to 18. In 1984 it admitted boys and girls aged 10 to 17 years. Winbin closed in 1992.
In 1975 Winbin closed as a pre-school unit and reopened as a hostel, admitting working age female wards who were participating in the Work Adjustment Programme. It also took in wards of the state who were pregnant. The goal of the hostel was to assist the girls in making the transition from residential care to independent living.
By 1983 Winbin was providing care and support for female wards aged between 15 and 18 years. In mid-1984 the hostel began admitting male and female wards aged 10 to 17 years. The Care Leavers Australia Network website states that the Department renovated the property in 1987, replacing the roof, copper guttering and modernizing the bathrooms and kitchen. The former kindergarten was converted into a three-bedroom manager’s cottage. By 1992, Winbin had ceased to be a government-operated welfare residential unit and the property was sold.
According to research done by the staff of the Northern Territory Department of Health, it was a place where children from the Northern Territory were sent, after time in Bidura.
According to the Care Leavers’ Australia Network website, the resident children at Winbin protested against the sale of the property, organising a petition, but it was sold at auction on 7 March 1992.
