Aradale - Ararat Vic

[morbid_curiosity]

I'd like to hear from anyone who has been to Aradale on a paranormal investigation and how they found their experience.

[JulieD]

I went with the team and had a fantastic time.  There was a bit about it in one of our newsletters. 

During a late afternoon rainstorm, I drove into Ararat looking for the abandoned Aradale mental institution, I was meeting SpookSpotters, a team of paranormal investigators for an over night investigation.

I hadn’t bothered with directions, I smugly thought I would find it easily as most asylums are built on hills and loom menacingly over the nearby town. Quickly realizing I had no idea where it was, I rang Christine for directions and made my way up the hill towards the enormous building, through the massive grounds of 100-odd hectares, containing around 68 buildings and parked the car.


Seeing Tomkat, he directed me to the safe room, that had been set up using an incantation of psychic protection, in the large dining area attached to the old industrial kitchen. Everyone else was exploring or setting up the DVR camera system in the men’s wing.
One end of the cavernous safe room had tables, chairs and bench tops, the other had eight single beds set up dormitory style. I chose a bed, dumped my bags and headed towards a door at the end of the hall with the female toilet symbol on it.

In the alcove behind the door there were two doorways, one leading to a spiral staircase climbing to one of the Victorian towers and one to the bathroom. Every corner was full of dust and debris that had accumulated from broken windows and the wind rattling its way in.

I weaved my way around gaping holes in the rotten floorboards to the single cubicle. Lime and rust stains oozed down the inside of the toilet bowl like something had been slaughtered in it. Bursting, I quickly did what I had to do, before the creature that obviously lurked there attacked me and then went to wash my hands.
Turning the tap, rusty water flowed out like blood and the pipes groaned and vibrated, as the water started to run clear, I was about to put my hands under when there was a huge bang and air in the pipe burst from the tap and sprayed dirty water all over the walls. I tentatively reached over, turned off the tap and made my retreat to the lawn outside wiping my hands in the wet grass.

The team was making their way back so we ate our picnic dinner and then took torches to explore other areas of the grounds to decide the best areas to investigate. After exploring the forensic unit and the nurses’ quarters we made our way past the swimming pool with its shallow, seething black water and through the long grass to an isolated area that had an old house style building.

In this building I was surprised at the size of the rat droppings in the empty rooms and when we found the rotting corpse of a rat as big as a large cat, I understood these were not normal city rats. Standing in the kitchen with HLD I heard a screechy noise like a demented rat behind me and having already seen the insulation from the oven dragged out and made into an eagle sized rats nest, I turned round ready for a confrontation but was relieved to find it was HLD’s digital camera making the noise. After finding another rat corpse and admiring an antique desk in the otherwise empty rooms we made our way out into the rickety building next door.

It had a rotten verandah and was surrounded by cyclone safety fencing with a sign saying ‘Maintenance’. On entry, the sign did not fit the interior of the building. Although there was an area at the back where industrial cleaners had been stored, a toilet with an Aids sign hinted at another purpose. On the way back to the safe room we explored the high security female cells.

The team broke up into three groups. One team to investigate the women’s hospital, the men’s ward and the chapel, the other team monitored the DVR. My team had to investigate the female ward, the administration building and the high security female cells, the only area that gave me
the creeps and I couldn’t wait to go back!

During the vigil in the female ward, Catseyes and HLD communicated with two entities, a male sexual attacker and a female victim. The sense of menace experienced was explained on return to the safe room, where we noticed raised red welts over one side of HLD’S face and then later I found Ararat was closed in the 90’s due to sexual and physical abuse of the inmates.

The next vigil was in the administration building where most of the time was spent exploring the warren of rooms. After admiring the arched leadlight window and the antique sideboard with etched glass boasting Mental Health Australia, we set up in the reception area for a short uneventful period.

Next we went to the high security female cells. We chose to sit in the open area surrounded by the cells, rather than the common room with the peeling, molding wallpaper. Using the divining rods, Catseyes asked a few questions and the rods kept pointing to Chainz, the rods reacted in the affirmative to her question “do you like Chainz”. CE passed the rods to me, the main response to my questions was for them to turn right round and point at me or to Chainz. CE quickly realized that my buttons seemed to be the point of interest. Too soon we had to return to the safe room, taking the shiny buttons and pretty boy with us.

For the next four hours I watched the DVR cameras with Tomcat. Wrapping our selves in blankets against the cold, the time passed quickly. Suddenly, out of the corner of our eye, we both caught a strobe type flash through the narrow pane of glass in the door. Using the walkie-talkie, Tomcat checked the location of everyone and no one was nearby. Strange.

Around 5 am we all headed back to the safe room and one by one, fell asleep composing a symphony of snores.

By JulieD
Copyright - Spookspotters December 2007 Newsletter.

[JulieD]

Here is the link to the summary

http://www.paranormal.com.au/public/index.php?topic=3715.0

[Christine]

Why do you want to know MC? Do you have particular interest in the place? Have you been there?

[morbid_curiosity]

I drive past in often, I live near Ararat. My dad was a paramedic and said that when it was open, it was the scariest place he's ever been (delivering patients). I've tried to drive up to it off the highway but it's fenced off and I can't get close. It's such a magnificent building thats left to ruin, and although it has a terrible history, it's a shame to leave it to crumble.
I think it's far to say that it's haunted, but i wonder whether it's a 'nightmarish' haunted or not.

[Christine]

Parts of it are rather dangerous.

It is a shame it is under utilised.

It is an amazing building, they sadly have to go to great lengths to keep people out now, mostly for their own protection though.

[morbid_curiosity]

I heard this today on our local radio, Aradale is opening for tours on 3rd May 2009. NMIT are running it.

http://www.nmit.vic.edu.au/news_events/news/2009/media_release_040609.aspx

[Christine]

Wow!! Thank you for posting that. That's great!

6 April, 2009
Creating a greater understanding of how psychiatric patients were treated in Victoria in the late 1800s is the motivation behind the launch of public tours of historic Aradale, Ararat.

The tours are the joint initiative of The Friends of J Ward (Ararat) and NMIT (Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE), and are scheduled to commence on May 3.

Aradale and its two sister asylums – Kew and Beechworth, were commissioned to accommodate the “growing number of lunatics in Victoria”.

Construction of Aradale, originally known as the Ararat Lunatic Asylum, started in 1863 and it was officially opened in 1867. It operated as a mental hospital and training centre until 1993.

At its peak, Aradale employed about 500 staff and accommodated approximately 900 patients. The majority of staff lived in and around Ararat.

NMIT, one of Victoria’s largest TAFE organisations, acquired Aradale in 2002 and now operates its Ararat campus from the site.

The Friends of J Ward is a group of volunteers committed to preserving the history of the Old Ararat County Goal following its acquisition by the Lunacy Department for housing the criminally insane from the 1880s. This facility became J Ward of the Ararat Lunatic Asylum.

The Friends of J Ward in conjunction with NMIT will conduct a function to launch the Aradale tours:

Date:               Wednesday April 22, 2009

Time:              11:00 am

Place:             Aradale – entry to Aradale via Heath Street, off Western Highway

Note: The function will be open to the media and invited guests only, and will conclude with a tour of the historic Aradale facilities.

Further information and media enquiries:

Karen Foster, 02 Media – 0407 312 836
John Mason, President, The Friends of J Ward – 03 5352 5450
James Gardener, NMIT – 03 9269 1579



BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The public tours of Aradale

The public tours of Aradale will be conducted each Sunday at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. They will take approximately 90 minutes.
Tours will be guided by experienced J Ward tour guides
Tour bookings can only be made through the Ararat Visitor Information Centre – Tel: 1800 657 158
The tours will incorporate Aradale’s Chapel, dining room, hospital wards, morgue, kitchen, forensic unit, “Ha Ha” Wall and landscaping features of the site.
More about Aradale

Aradale was built as a town within a town. It had its own market gardens, orchard, vineyard, piggery and other livestock were kept on site.
As it stands today, the Aradale complex comprises 63 buildings, which span a period from the 1860s to 1991. The forensic unit was the latest having been built in 1991 – just two years before the facility closed.
Despite being closed as an asylum, Aradale continued to house female prisoners during the building/renovation of the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (until 2001).
About NMIT

NMIT is the largest vocational education and training institute in Melbourne’s northern region.
In recognition of NMITs significant contribution to the development and delivery of viticulture and winemaking programs, the State Government awarded the Institute a grant to establish a campus on the Aradale site to expand its wine college operations.
NMIT opened an education and research centre at Aradale in August 2002.
Since assuming responsibility for the site, NMIT has established the following facilities at Aradale:
30ha vineyard
250 tonne winery
Extensive training facilities
4ha lavender farm

[morbid_curiosity]

I'm booking in ASAP!! I nearly did backflips when I heard today!

[Whisper]

I would like to go on that tour, my great great grandfather died there so I am really curious about the history of the place.  I just hope they keep running it, it may be a long while before I can get there.

[deka]

Oh how cool that they're doing tours now!  I remember dropping my brother-in-law off to work there and marvelling at how wonderful the building was.  I wanted to go inside, but of course it wasn't allowed, lol.  I remember my dad saying something about how it was also quietly used to house a handful of 'sane' male prisoners from Melb when there was an overcrowding problem, I think that would have been maybe 1950's sometime or possibly 1960's.

[Christine]

Tours will run every Sunday at 11am and 2pm and must be paid in full and prebooked at the Visitor Information Centre. Max of 20 per tour. You don't go to the wards, you only go to the other buildings including the forensic unit, kitchen, dining room, haha wall, morgue, hospital and chapel.

$20 per adult, $18 concession.

[Benno]

later I found Ararat was closed in the 90’s due to sexual and physical abuse of the inmates.

Hi my dad used to work in both J-Ward and Aradale back in the 80's and 90's until they closed as a psychiatric nurse. He never told me about anything weird happening except for inmates flipping out when they didn't take their meds. I'm not sure he would have talked about ghosts as he always said he didn't believe in them.

Regarding the closure of Aradale it was actually closed by the Kenett Government, and not due to any mistreatment of the inmates.

[Salt Breeze]

Well that's good to know Benno - that it wasn't due to mistreatment of inmates.   

Your Dad must have some interesting stories.  I have a friend who worked at a psyche hospital and he has lots of tales about what went on.   I remember one where he said a lady used to hide on top of a wardrobe on the verandah, and would often jump on him as he went by.   

[Benno]

Yeah i'm sure he had some good stories. Sadly he passed away 5 years ago so i can't ask him about any. I wish i had asked when he was alive. However i don't think he would have told me anything much. Oh Well.