Archives



Fernhurst

Fernhurst was established by St John’s Homes for Boys and Girls in 1968 to provide residential care for young people on Children’s Court probation. It was run in conjunction with the Church of England Boys’ Society.

Darling Babies’ Home

The Darling Babies’ Home was established by the Community of the Holy Name in 1927. It was run by the Mission to the Streets and Lanes for babies and young children up to the age of 5. The Home was closed in 1967. In 1927, the Mission to the Streets and Lanes launched an appeal…

School of Homecrafts Hostel

The School of Homecrafts, in Berry Street, East Melbourne (Jolimont) was established in around 1925. Previously, the Girls’ Training Home was on the site until it closed in around 1923. Initially the School of Homecrafts was run by the Girls’ Friendly Society from 1925. In 1935, its management was taken over by the Mission of…

Buckland House

Buckland House in Newport was established by the Mission of St James and St John in 1980. It provided emergency and short term residential care for up to eight children. Buckland House was closed in June 1994. The building became the Yarraville family group home. Buckland House in Newport was established by the Mission of…

Butler House for Homeless Girls

Butler House for Homeless Girls, Carlton, was established by the Mission of St James in 1934 at 97 Drummond Street, Carlton. It was intended for ‘homeless and friendless girls’, especially young women from Fairhaven and Kedesh Maternity Home. Butler House for Homeless Girls had closed by 1944, at which time the building was being used…

Fairhaven

Fairhaven was established by the Mission of St James and St John in 1927. The Home accommodated women with venereal diseases. In 1951, the institution was transferred by the Victorian Department of Health to new premises at Nunawading, known as Winlaton. The institution closed in 1953. Fairhaven was a Home for women with venereal diseases…

Arms of Jesus Babies’ Home

The Arms of Jesus Babies’ Home, East Melbourne, was established in 1925 by the Mission of St James and St John. It housed babies up to the age of two. In 1933, the Babies Home was sold and the Freemason’s Hospital was erected on the site. The Mission purchased property in Balwyn, where the new…

Beryl Booth Court

Beryl Booth Court was established in 1978 by the Mission of St James and St John. It accommodated single parent ‘at risk’ families for three to six months. Residents learned parenting skills and received follow-up support. Beryl Booth Court was closed in 1991 and the site became the CHOICES Centre for Young Women and their…

Blackburn South Cottages

The Blackburn South Cottages was established by the Mission of St James and St John in 1963. There were about 16 children in each cottage, but by the 1980s there were about 6 children with ‘cottage parents’. By this time Blackburn Cottages mostly housed older children with challenging behaviours. The campus at Blackburn became known…

St Augustine’s Boys’ Orphanage

St Augustine’s Orphanage was established in Newtown in around 1855. First run by the Friendly Brothers, the Christian Brothers took over the management of the Orphanage in 1878. In 1939, the Orphanage moved to a new location on a larger farming property in Highton, Geelong. The foundation stone for St Augustine’s Orphanage in Geelong was…