St Joseph’s Orphanage, Goulburn, was run by the Sisters of Mercy from 1864. It was located at the corner of Clinton and Bourke Streets, Goulburn from 1880 until 1905, when the children were moved to a new site in Kenmore. It provided care for girls aged 5 to 16 years. In 1976 the Home amalgamated with St John’s Home, and the children were moved to two cottages and to St John’s Home. St John’s Home closed in 1984 and the cottages closed in 1987.
St Joseph’s Orphanage, Kenmore, became an approved institution to receive child migrants from Britain, however it does not appear to have any received any. The Lost Innocents Report (2001) noted that there was no evidence of child migrants being sent to St Joseph’s.
In 2019, the former orphanage at Kenmore was known as Liminis House. A former resident of the orphanage visited the site in 2015 and described what it was like:
Memories came flooding back as I walked down these now quiet and lonely hallways and it was I who ended up being the tour guide [for the new owners], describing the many aspects of our daily lives when I lived here as a child.
As I stood in the entry hallway I could still see myself kneeling down with a toothbrush in hand, scrubbing the intricate parquetry tiles before having to operate the monstrous polisher that was twice my size, being ever so careful as it would throw you around the room like a rag doll while trying to operate it.
From
1864
To
1975
Alternative Names
St Joseph's Girls' Home
Kenmore Girls' Orphanage
1864 - 1881
St Joseph's Orphanage was situated at Goulburn, New South Wales (Building State unknown)
1881 - 1905
St Joseph's Orphanage was situated on the corner of Clinton and Bourke Streets, Goulburn, New South Wales (Building Demolished)
1905 - 1975
St Joseph's Orphanage was situated at 153 Taralga Road, Kenmore (Goulburn), New South Wales (Building Still standing)
Subsequent