Lakeside Mental Hospital

37°33′04″S 143°49′03″E / 37.55111°S 143.81760°E / -37.55111; 143.81760

Lakeside Mental Hospital, originally known as Ballarat Asylum,^[1] later as Ballarat Hospital for the Insane and finally, before its closure, as Lakeside Psychiatric Hospital,^[2] was an Australian psychiatric hospital located in the suburb of Wendouree, the north-western fringe of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.

The hospital first opened in 1877 for the "imbecile and idiot" (low intellect) class of patient rather than patients with acute insanity.^[3] It closed again soon after.^[4] A reformatory for boys also operated on the site, and some of its buildings were reused when the hospital was reopened in 1893, specialising in the treatment of epileptics.^[3] A brick building was converted into a ward to house 30 male patients. This was extensively damaged in a fire in 1917.^[5] A report in 1895 said that the patients did not have enough warm clothing, and that they were shivering during the cold Ballarat winter.^[6] Proposals to expand the asylum were mooted in 1909. Large scale extension and alteration were put forward by the state government in 1916.^[7]

In 1934, the Ballarat Asylum was renamed Ballarat Mental Hospital and, in 1969, the name changed again to Lakeside Hospital.^[4] Lakeside Hospital was decommissioned in 1996.^[8]

The hospital at its peak employed about 600 staff and could hold 1500 patients.^[4] The site was 83 hectares, of which 40 hectares was used as a farm.^[4] Crops planted in 1910 included leeks, cauliflowers, onions, rhubarb, potatoes, pumpkins, carrots, tomatoes, celery, beetroot, peas, beans and parsnips.^[9] In 1907, a Dr. Cherry reported that the patients helped to compress green fodder crops for storage by dancing jigs and reels on them to the accompaniment of a fiddle.^[10]

The site is now used for the Ballarat Aquatic Centre, a number of sporting facilities, and the Lake Gardens housing estate. Some original building are still standing and have been renovated and reused.

Incidents

An outbuilding burned down in 1898.^[11] In 1909, an incident between inmates resulted in the death of one by pick-axe.^[12] In 1917, a large fire destroyed one of the wings which was formerly the boys reformatory school.^[5] A patient committed suicide by drowning himself in Lake Wendouree in 1995 after it was announced by the Government that deinstitution would begin. The man was a long term patient. His disappearance was reported to the police, when staff took a group on a walk around the nearby lake. He was later found by a Lakeside nurse.

See also

• List of Australian psychiatric institutions

References

External links

• "Stencil Plate - Ballarat Lunatic Asylum, Metal, circa 1900". Museum Victoria. 2013. Archived from the original on 26 April 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2013.