J Ward, Ararat's Old Gaol and Lunatic Asylum
Source: https://www.jward.org.au
Archived: 2026-04-23 15:36
J Ward, Ararat's Old Gaol and Lunatic Asylum
J Ward
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Aradale
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Asylum for the Criminally Insane
“It's continuance as an adjunct to a mental hospital, in this the 20th century, is more barbaric than barbarism.”
Inspector General of the Insane, 1908
Book your visit to J Ward
Take a guided tour of J Ward, Ararat's Old Gaol and Lunatic Asylum. Hear stories of its time as a gaol with murderers and thieves and later as the home for Victoria's criminally insane.
J Ward is 2.5 hours from Melbourne, close to the Grampians and open daily for tours by passionate Friends of J Ward volunteers. More than 10,000 people visit each year.
Tours run at
10am
and
1pm
each day with extra tours at
11am
and
2pm
on Saturdays, Sundays and Victorian public and school holidays (except Christmas Day).
“It was great! We all loved it, very informative, but thank goodness times have moved on.”
“Thank you for the tours that we were a part of last Sunday 16th April. We really enjoyed spending the day learning about the history of both Aradale and J Ward. The tour at Aradale was very informative and the guides were engaging with their information and stories, and great at answering any questions the group had.”
“Absolutely loved our tour and we're loving Ararat. The guide , not only full of stories but so giving of her time. A perfect person to show us the museum. Thank you a million times for our lovely day out.”
Book your visit
Stories
Virtual tour
Souvenirs & books
Discovery Centre
Venue hire
Volunteer
Aradale
Contact us
J Ward
Book your visit
Stories
Virtual tour
Souvenirs & books
Discovery Centre
Venue hire
Volunteer
Aradale
Contact us
Asylum for the Criminally Insane
“It's continuance as an adjunct to a mental hospital, in this the 20th century, is more barbaric than barbarism.”
Inspector General of the Insane, 1908
Book your visit to J Ward
Take a guided tour of J Ward, Ararat's Old Gaol and Lunatic Asylum. Hear stories of its time as a gaol with murderers and thieves and later as the home for Victoria's criminally insane.
J Ward is 2.5 hours from Melbourne, close to the Grampians and open daily for tours by passionate Friends of J Ward volunteers. More than 10,000 people visit each year.
Tours run at
10am
and
1pm
each day with extra tours at
11am
and
2pm
on Saturdays, Sundays and Victorian public and school holidays (except Christmas Day).
“It was great! We all loved it, very informative, but thank goodness times have moved on.”
“Thank you for the tours that we were a part of last Sunday 16th April. We really enjoyed spending the day learning about the history of both Aradale and J Ward. The tour at Aradale was very informative and the guides were engaging with their information and stories, and great at answering any questions the group had.”
“Absolutely loved our tour and we're loving Ararat. The guide , not only full of stories but so giving of her time. A perfect person to show us the museum. Thank you a million times for our lovely day out.”
Book your visit
Stories
Virtual tour
Souvenirs & books
Discovery Centre
Venue hire
Volunteer
Aradale
Contact us