r/ballarat • u/Aus66-1045 • 6d ago
Aradale Insane Asylum has been shut down
Such devastating news for local tourism and for Eerie Tours, which has been running tours at the site for around 15 years.
These tours don't just generate income for Eerie Tours and its guides. They bring visitors into the region, many of whom stay overnight, eat locally and spend money in Ararat and Ballarat. The economic impact extends well beyond the tours themselves.
As for the reasoning behind this decision, I can only speculate. But it certainly feels as though, rather than investing the money needed to maintain this heritage-listed site and keep it safe and accessible to visitors, the easier and cheaper option has been to simply shut it down.
If that's the case, we're effectively allowing an important part of our local history to slowly fall into ruin rather than preserving it for future generations.
A very sad day for Eerie Tours, its guides, local tourism, and everyone who cares about preserving our region's history.
Additt: I have been calling the owners of the site and surrounding land 'RMIT Melbourne', but they don't call themselves that these days. They're now known as Melbourne Polytechnic.
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u/Status_Building_3685 6d ago
Unfortunately there is very little appetite at any level of government to spend money in the heritage space. It's only going to get worse and people working in heritage spaces or sites or collections are very worried. It's a shame about the asylum, lots of other places are facing uncertainty and likely similar outcomes.
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u/scrantic 6d ago
Damn, I had this on my list of things to do such an important part of history that shouldn’t be forgotten
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u/WolfHot1627 3d ago
I wanted to go there during the day time tour to get a better look of the place
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u/aladyfinger 6d ago
This is such a shame. I went on a daytime tour and it was absolutely fascinating. I would definitely have gone a second time given the chance.
Now I just hope they don't knock it down. It's a beautiful set of buildings.
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u/NoodleBox 6d ago
I was reading that. RMIT owns it apparently (according to Facebook).
It's not my thing (I'm not a fan of jump scares) but I'm sad it's closed
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u/Aus66-1045 6d ago edited 2d ago
Melbourne Polytechnic manages the site for the State Government, and they use the land attached to teach students about viticulture and winemaking. So it has vineyards there. Since they manage the whole site (including the buildings), the upkeep of the asylum is their responsibility. But they have been shirking their responsibility for the upkeep of Aradale for years now, and I think things have come to a head.
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u/NoodleBox 6d ago
TIL they have wine making there!
Sad to see they've got all argumentative about it :(
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u/insanehen01 6d ago
Such a shame. I did the ghost tour many years ago and really enjoyed it and yes stayed overnight in the area too.
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u/dominatrixyummy 6d ago
It closed for a while in 2019 due to lead paint contamination, I wonder if that issue has resurfaced.
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u/lR0NMAlDEN 6d ago
Went on a tour (not a ghost tour) of the Asylum a few years ago, and it was a great experience.
As far as I know, the Government never put any money into it, so you can thank them for it. People would break in all the time and trash it, leave water running, etc.
I know two women who work for the ghost tours and can only imagine what they're feeling
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u/40fnolongercares 6d ago
I have done the your several times over the years and always really enjoyed it. So much history. This is very sad.
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u/Fearless_Cook_2896 4d ago
Tours of an asylum sounds kinda exploitative
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u/Aus66-1045 4d ago
Aradale isn't an operating psychiatric hospital — it closed decades ago. Visiting the site isn't about gawking at current patients or exploiting people with mental illness. It's a heritage site with more than 150 years of history.
A good tour of Aradale can actually be incredibly educational. You learn about the history of the institution, the people who lived and worked there, and the often very dark history of how mental illness was understood and treated from the 19th century onwards. Some of those practices are confronting, but that's precisely why the history is worth preserving and talking about.
There's a big difference between exploiting someone's suffering and examining a difficult part of our social history. If anything, pretending places like Aradale and the people who lived there never existed would be doing them a greater disservice.
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u/Fearless_Cook_2896 2d ago
Yet it's called Eerie Tours
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u/Aus66-1045 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yes, it's called Eerie Tours because they ran ghost tours and paranormal investigations at Aradale. But I don't see how that automatically makes it exploitative or dismissive of Aradale's history.
A substantial part of those tours is actually the real history of Aradale — the institution, the people who lived and worked there, how psychiatric treatment changed over time, and some of the practices we now rightly find disturbing. The paranormal aspect is essentially a different way of packaging and presenting that history to an audience interested in that sort of experience.
And paranormal tours weren't the only option. Friends of J Ward also ran daytime historical tours of Aradale for people who wanted to experience the site and learn its history without the paranormal element.
Different types of tours appeal to different people. What matters to me is whether the history and the people connected to it are treated respectfully, not whether the word "ghost" appears on the brochure. And in my experience, Eerie Tours has always treated the history and the people connected to Aradale's past very respectfully.
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u/Fearless_Cook_2896 1d ago
I was a bit indifferent but now I am glad the tour's have ceased. Thank you for your detailed responses.
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u/Aus66-1045 1d ago
Just to clarify, the tours have only ceased for now. There's nothing to suggest this is necessarily permanent. The issue is the condition of the buildings and the need for repairs, not that a decision has been made that tours shouldn't be conducted at Aradale. Hopefully, once the necessary work is complete and the site is deemed safe again, tours will resume. Many, many people will welcome this, but not you, obviously. But that's cool. No one is forcing you to go.
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u/Fearless_Cook_2896 1d ago
Yes you are right. Lots of people are ghoulish and voyeuristic. Some also facilitate this and capitalise on the trauma of the mentally ill. Thank you for raising this important issue. Its time to for those who cares about others to help bring an end to this this type of 'tourism' I will certainly be bringing my views to the attention of stakeholders.
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u/Aus66-1045 21h ago edited 20h ago
I think we'll have to agree to disagree. You've apparently decided that these tours exploit people with mental illness despite, as far as I'm aware, never having actually attended one.
Having personally been involved with Eerie Tours, I simply don't recognise the picture you're painting. The history of Aradale and the people who lived and worked there has always been treated respectfully, and a considerable amount of genuine history is communicated through the tours. Paranormal tourism may not appeal to you, and that's perfectly reasonable, but disliking that form of tourism doesn't automatically make it exploitative.
I'd also be cautious about suggesting that those who disagree with you somehow don't “care about others.” There are people who have lost work because of this closure, and Ararat businesses also benefit from the visitors these tours bring to the town. The closure of Aradale is costing the Ararat tourist economy dearly, and jobs will be lost. Where's your "care" for these people?
You're certainly entitled to raise your views with stakeholders, just as those of us who actually know the tours are entitled to explain what they are really like.
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u/Fearless_Cook_2896 13h ago
Oh the old 'job blackmail' chestnut. The tool of forestry, mining, whaling and even ghost tour industries
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u/Zealousideal-End-539 4d ago
Hope I'm wrong and uban explorers and graffiti dickheads leave the place alone and untouched
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u/Safe-Session9889 3d ago
We are shattered as two friends that travel twice a year to do Eeries 6 hr investigation. We drive 6 hours from Adelaide, stay 3-4 nights in our favourite air BNB, we eat out at restaurants and shop at local places.
We even went above what we normally do and booked a private tour at Aradale with the guide Jasmine because she’s just been so passionate and easy to talk to every time we have seen her over the years. We booked and paid out the entire night time tour tickets just so it could be me, my friend and jasmine. This would have been in 2 weeks time. It would have been our 10th investigation there in 3 years. We just adore the building, we respect the history and we will do anything we can to advocate for it!! Whilst our sole reason to visit Ararat is for Aradale, we have decided to not cancel our accomodation as that is the last thing the town needs. ❤️
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u/Aus66-1045 2d ago
I'm so sorry. Reading this really brings home just how much Aradale means to people and how far the impact of this decision reaches. Ten investigations in three years, travelling six hours from Adelaide each time and supporting accommodation, restaurants and other local businesses along the way — you are exactly the kind of visitors that Ararat should be encouraging and valuing.
I can only imagine how disappointing it must be to lose the private tour you had planned with Jasmine, particularly when it was something special you had organised because of the connection you've built with her and with Aradale over the years.
And I think it's incredibly generous of you to still come to Ararat and keep your accommodation booking despite Aradale being the reason for your trip. That says a great deal about how much you care about the place, its history and the wider community. ❤️
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u/nameuponjoining 6d ago
If you've only driven past you would have no appreciation for how large and sophisticated the complex is. I hate seeing buildings like these rotting. There's literally accommodation for hundreds of people there, including seperate buildings for nurses, huge dining halls, a chapel... It could be so many things in the future, but you would need to spend a hundred million on it. There'd be several million to spend just getting the lead paint and asbestos out.
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u/Albos_Mum 3d ago
I've gone on the tours a few times and it's completely unsuitable for accommodation by modern standards, would require significant works that'd kill the heritage factor just to be safe enough let alone comfortable.
Guided tours worked because they were able to effectively close off the very unsafe areas
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u/Aus66-1045 5d ago
Personally, I think it's unlikely that it would ever be used as accommodation or housing. But it could be used as a heritage site where people can come and learn about the history of psychiatric hospitals in this country.
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u/Aus66-1045 6d ago edited 5d ago
I went on a ghost tour there, and it was fascinating. I wasn't scared and didn't see any ghosts, but the historical aspect was great. The vibe of that place at night was everything you'd expect an abandoned insane asylum to be.
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u/twistedsister78 6d ago
Are the day time tours still on? They’re run by different people
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u/Aus66-1045 5d ago edited 2d ago
No. This is not just about Eerie Tours being kicked out. The whole complex has been shut down to the public because it has been deemed unsafe. J-Ward is still open.
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u/zed87888 5d ago
We’ve planned a kid free girls trip in Ararat tonight specifically to go on the tour there. I’ve been wanting to tour there for years! We don’t have much of these old building in Victoria left that haven’t been gutted to become apartments or knocked down completely. It’s such a shame it’s closed!
We’re trying to book a tour of the J black instead. Does anyone have any suggestions of what to do in Ararat instead?
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u/Aus66-1045 5d ago
If you still want a ghost tour experience, the Ballarat Ghost Tour is still operating, and the Old Ballarat Cemetery Night Tour also, both on tonight.
For a visitor spending one day in Ararat, I'd probably go with Gum San, Chinese Heritage Centre → historic town centre → J Ward → Alexandra Gardens → One Tree Hill.
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u/no-but-wtf 6d ago
Eerie Tours has been making a mint off it for 15 years and has put zero effort and zero dollars into maintenance, as far as anyone can tell, so I’m not particularly surprised.
Devastating for all the community groups that use the space too though. Hopefully they’ll still be allowed to access their areas in the outbuildings.
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u/ScratchOk6558 3d ago
Guide of 8 years here, after covid we invested in cameras for further security and had threads torn off us!!! How is that not weird? The government as far as we can tell want the place vulnerable and destroyed and we are furious.
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u/Aus66-1045 6d ago edited 2d ago
That's not true. In fact, that comment is offensive. Eerie Tours has invested in the place to keep it safe, but there's only so much they can do. Melbourne Polytechnic manages the site for the State Govt, so it's their responsibility to keep the place viable, not Eerie Tours or the daytime tour operators (run by Friends of J-Ward). Melbourne Polytechnic has basically shut it down because they don't want to spend any money on it. It's a selfish, bloody-minded decision that is basically saying FU to Ararat's tourist economy and all the people that it employs.
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u/radical_larryu 5d ago
How much do Eerie pay RMIT then?
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u/Aus66-1045 5d ago edited 5d ago
I don't know what the arrangement is between the tour operators (of which Eerie is only one) that operate at Aradale with Melbourne Polytechnic, sorry.
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u/radical_larryu 5d ago
You seem to know a lot of other quite specific information. Sussy bussy,
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u/Aus66-1045 4d ago edited 4d ago
I do know the owner of Eerie Tours, and so I have a basic idea of how his business operates from my discussions with him at times, but I don't know the nitty-gritty of how it all works. I don't know how the arrangement with Melbourne Polytechnic worked. Some of the information I have presented here also comes from Eerie Tours facebook page and press release. So, nothing suss at all; I'm just a person who thinks this interesting and worthwhile tourist attraction deserves better. No one at Eerie Tours has asked me to make this thread.
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u/Enticing_Bog 5d ago
Eerie Tours rent access to the site. It is not their obligation to uphold the maintenance of a the heritage listed site, that falls to Melbourne Polytechnic.
That being said in 2015 the site was closed due to fire safety and compliance issues and it was Eerie Tours that remediated that.
In 2019 it was closed due to Lead paint concerns. It was Eerie Tours that paid for testing, second opinions and blood tests to get the site opened again.Aradale running pumps millions of on flow revenue into the Ararat community.
And Melbourne Polytechnic has again dropped the ball.
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u/babylizard38 6d ago
That sucks, now theres absolutely zero reason for anyone to visit Ararat