During our visit to Aarat we explored J ward. When it was first built in 1859, it was the old goal. In 1886 the goal closed and the next year it became a ward of the Aradale lunatic asylum for the criminally insane. For my husband and I this was very interesting because of our jobs. I am a mental health nurse trained 41 years ago and hubby was a crime lawyer prior to retirement.

The guides who run the tours are volunteers, part of a group called the Friends of J Ward. They are interested in the history of the ward and many had worked in it. Our guide had been a psychiatric nurse there and told personal stories of those admitted. For me personally the museum gave a great understanding of the changes to psychiatry Dr Dax brought to Victoria especially relating to how patients were treated and cared for. He implemented many ideas that are classified as best practise today.

The front gates to the old goal. This very solid gate holds a door within a door. It is very large.

On the internal walls of the courtyard over 130 years ago a prisoner painted the old sailing ship. To help preserve it it has been restored to its original condition. This artwork now features on many creative works attached to J Ward.

This scene shows the set up for an early version of ECT ( electroconvulsive therapy). The treatment is still used today and may at times be the treatment of choice for depression. The procedure however has changed greatly over the years.

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The above photos show the early ways of suicide prevention and self harm management. The blanket is very thick and cannot be ripped.

As well as the ship painted in the courtyard there are also several carvings. We were told they were carved by the patients of the J ward and had special meaning.

I love the above box. It was made by hand from by a very clever deaf and dumb patient. The photo shows several handmade items.

Whilst initially opened as a temporary solution solution to the criminally insane problem at the time, J Ward remained in use for over a century. It was closed in 1991. This was 10 years after I had started working in psychiatry.