Innaminka Hostel, Greenmount

Innaminka Hostel, Greenmount, opened in the early 1970s, when Mogumber (1951 – 1974) was being replaced by a number of small homes in Perth suburbs. It began as a hostel for boys, but by 1975 was used for short term placements for girls aged 5-17 years. By the 1980s, it was again a boys’ hostel and by 1995 it had not been used for some years. By 2004, Innaminka was part of the Emergency Accommodation Service Program run by the Department for Community Development.

Innaminka Hostel, Greenmount began as a suburban branch of Mogumber by 1972, in a house at 28 Innaminka Road. It started as a boys’ hostel run by the Methodist Overseas Mission under agreement with the Department for Community Welfare (DCW).

It is likely that Innaminka Hostel, Greenmount was one of the Aboriginal Education and Employment Hostels in the metropolitan area, providing a base for Aboriginal children and young people to go to school and obtain other training in Perth.

Innaminka Hostel, Greenmount was run by a number of Methodist and, after 1977, Uniting Church agencies under agreement with the DCW. In 1974, after Mogumber closed, the Mogumber Training Centre (MTC) took over from the Methodist Overseas Mission and in 1980 Sister Kate’s Child and Family Care Services took over from the MTC.

Many of the children and young people who were placed at Innaminka Hostel, Greenmount were wards of the State.

By 1975, Innaminka Hostel, Greenmount was providing short-term accommodation for girls aged 5-17 years. A description in 1975 noted there was a trampoline in the garden, a TV and piano. The hostel-like Home had four bedrooms (able to be shared by three girls). The girls took a bus to local schools and took their lunch with them. The average length of time they stayed at Applecross Cottage was 9 months.

By the 1980s, Innaminka Hostel, Greenmount was used to place boys going to high school. In August 1987, the hostel was transferred to the Department for Community Services. In the years between 1987 and 1995, it seems the hostel was often not used.

By 2004, Innaminka Hostel, Greenmount was part of the Emergency Accommodation Service Program run by the Department for Community Development.