Paranormal Shenanigans

"It's not overstating to call it a disturbing report Doug."1


Because I can't resist an ultimate, in July 2018 along with my Scooby Gang I booked the six hour ultimate overnight paranormal investigation at Aradale Asylum. It became obvious we were onto a good thing when the Eerie Tours phone menu was done in this FANTASTIC Vincent Price voice. These are my kind of people.

Excited, I decided to dig into a little reading. I've not covered the notorious state of early mental health care and asylums in general, as by being here you're probably already across all that. The horror films don't have it far wrong.

The Aradale high points are:

1864 Construction kicks off on the brand spanking new Ararat Lunatic Asylum (later renamed Aradale by public competition). This is one of a trinity of new Victorian asylums built to deal with the colony's "lunatic" problem.

It was built to accommodate 250 inmates. More buildings are added over time, but inmate numbers stack up VERY quickly.

1881 Yarra Bend Asylum closes. Aradale inmate numbers increase to 423.

1887 Aradale assumes control of the old bluestone Ararat jail, built in 1859. This becomes J-Ward, and remains Victoria's maximum security facility for the criminally insane until its closure in 1991.

1966 Aradale opens a training centre for those living with an intellectual disability, swelling inmate numbers to 810 by 1967. Later documents divvy the mentally ill and those living with a disability into "patients" and "residents," separate from convicted criminals who were incarcerated; but as lip service alone was paid to human rights I'm simplifying by calling them all inmates.

1977 Inmates drop to 641, but with a higher proportion of those living with a disability. Already serious problems are brewing ...

Go to bpgregory.com to read the entire adventure