Aradale Asylum historic archive

This will be a collected archive and database of records, reports, documents and media coverage pertaining to the history of the Ararat Lunatic Asylum its heritage, patients and staff. This will include both accessible documents, the location of records as well as artifacts, media and images. These will be accessible to the public for researchers and the descendants of patients and staff. The website will have relevant links, digital resources and location details. This will be hosted by the Collaborative Research Centre in Australian History at Federation University.

This will provide a central repository for members of the community who are researching family who may have been institutionalised. It would provide a first port of call for people who are researching Victorian psychiatric history, or Ararat in specific. By creating a central repository where researchers can submit articles and information, this can be accessed by members of the public who are searching for more information on the Ararat facility. This project will raise awareness of the plight of the mentally in Victoria's colonial and contemporary history.