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Moreland Hall

Moreland Hall was a reformatory and female rescue home for young women and girls operated by the Wesley Central Mission from 1936 to 1946. It was a continuation of The South Yarra Home, with residents and staff being transferred to Moreland on the closure of The South Yarra Home in 1936. Residents at Moreland Hall…

The South Yarra Home

The South Yarra Home was an institution for ‘friendless and fallen’ women and girls was established around 1878 by Matthew Burnett, an evangelist who conducted a mission in Wesley Church. It was located at 17-19 Lang Street, South Yarra. In 1895, Wesley Central Mission took over responsibility from a local committee for running the South…

Fallen Sisters Home

The Salvation Army established the Fallen Sisters Home, in Carlton, in early 1884. It accommodated women recently released from prison. It closed in around 1886.

Carlton Refuge

The Carlton Refuge was a non-denominational institution established in 1857 to ‘reform’ women working in prostitution. From 1860 the Refuge accommodated mothers and their babies, and over time offered care to ‘neglected’ children, training in mothercraft and other related services. The Refuge closed in 1949. The Carlton Refuge was a non-denominational institution established in 1857,…

Regent House

Regent House was a Presbyterian girls’ home. It was first established in 1907, in West Brunswick, when it was known as the Presbyterian Girls’ Home. In 1909 it relocated to larger premises in Regent Street, Elsternwick. From at least the 1950s, it was known as Regent House and it was a hostel for young women….

Ballarat Town and City Mission Rescue and Children’s Home

The Ballarat Town and City Mission Rescue and Children’s Home was established around 1921. It provided accommodation for single mothers and their babies. The Alexandra Babies’ Home, also managed by the Mission, was on the same site. The organisation came into being when it took over the Canadian Rescue and Children’s Home, and the George…

Elizabeth Fry Retreat

The Elizabeth Fry Retreat, South Yarra, was established by Quakers in 1884 as a home for female ex-prisoners. In 1943, Melbourne City Mission took over the Retreat, who offered a home for ‘friendless and wayward women and girls’. In 1957 the Retreat was renamed Swinborn Lodge. The Elizabeth Fry Retreat in South Yarra was a…