The Ipswich Branch of the Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum was opened in 1878 to take patients from the overcrowded Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum at Wacol. The name changed to the Ipswich Hospital for the Insane in 1910.
Opened in 1878, the Ipswich Asylum, commonly known as "The Gallop", accommodated chronic cases from the overcrowded Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum.
The Insanity Act of 1884 provided for the appointment of an Inspector of Asylums for the Insane who would inspect every part of every asylum and see all patients once every six months. The Act stated that 'the Lunatic Asylums at Goodna and Sandy Gallop, near Ipswich, shall be deemed to be Hospitals for the Insane under this Act'.
At this time the "Moral Treatment" of the mentally ill was based on the provision of peaceful surroundings with uninterrupted views, well designed buildings with good ventilation, good water supply, gardens and useful employment and recreation for the patients. It was considered that the Ipswich Asylum met this criteria.
The original building was extended and later named the Arthur Pavilion. No patients were directly admitted into Ipswich and very few patients were discharged. By 1908 two additional buildings were added, Male Ward 2 (Blair House) and Female Ward 1 (Alison House). The institution was renamed the Ipswich Hospital for the Insane in 1910.
1878 - 1910 Ipswich Branch of the Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum
1910 - 1938 Ipswich Hospital for the Insane
1938 - 1964 Ipswich Mental Hospital
1964 - 1968 Ipswich Special Hospital
1968 - 1998 Challinor Centre
Sources used to compile this entry: McRobert, Elizabeth, Challinor Centre : the end of the line : a history of the institution also known as Sandy Gallop, Department of Families, Youth & Community Care, Brisbane, 1997, 198 pp; Queensland Health, The road to recovery - a history of mental health services in Queensland 1859-2009, Queensland Government, 2013, https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/444583/qld-mh-history.pdf; UQ Ipswich Campus Progression of an Institution, Ipswich Library Online Exhibition, http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/149288/20141112-1528/www.library.uq.edu.au/ipswich/uqihistory/index.html.
Prepared by: Lee Butterworth
Created: 8 July 2013, Last modified: 12 June 2014