Historical information

Produced c. 1910 by The Rose Stereograph co. This colourised photographic postcard shows the exterior of the administrative buildings at Mayday Hills mental hospital with three young boys in the foreground. This postcard forms part of the extensive Rose Series. (P. 4689) of postcards being produced by the Rose Stereograph co. which depicted landmarks from across Australia. Despite the early date attributed to this image, according to Walsh dates from this series place the postcards being produced typically between 1920-54.

Mayday Hills Hospital, then known as the Beechworth Lunatic Asylum was constructed between 1864-67 designed by The Public Works Department. The hospital is made up of a number of buildings, landscaping, ha-ha, workshops, laundry, administrative facilities and farmland, it was constructed in 'Italianate' style by a team of up to two hundred and fifty workers (Woods p. 122). The asylum was established in response to the need for the regional shire to locally care for those particularly affected by their time working the Ovens goldfield during the Indigo Shire gold rush era where poor living conditions and isolation were significantly affecting the welfare of a great many people through poverty and lack of resources. The gaol and orphan labour systems were not able to effectively support to give housing, rehabilitation and ongoing care for the mentally ill, and transporting to Melbourne by waggon was a time consuming and counter-productive solution when the metro facilities were already overcrowded.

According to Woods (A Titan's Field p. 122), between 1901 and 1911 a large percentage (thirty five percent in 1901 and twenty four in 1911) of the Beechworth population were either patients or inmates of Beechworth institutions, Mayday Hills accounted for some six hundred and seventy four patients in 1901, Beechworth's Mayday Hills was chosen as the site of Victoria's newest asylum, at the time, due to the landscape and altitude. The hilltop atmosphere and the native fauna, it was argued, would assist in the cure of the patients kept at the hospital (Wood 1985, 122). The positioning of the hospital had a beneficial effect on the rural town and the large volume of people living at the hospital and contributing to this population growth is counted as reason for the survival of Beechworth as a regional township.

Mayday Hills continued to function as a mental hospital up until 1995 when it was sold to LaTrobe university.

The building and grounds are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register under criterion A, B, D, E and F.

Significance

Through the colourisation of the photograph and through the unusual choice of the subject matter being used as a postcard, we can get a good indication of aesthetic interests of the time.

Physical description

Rectangular coloured photograph printed as postcard

Inscriptions & markings

Obverse:
Beautiful / Beechworth / (Vic.) / 1800 ft. / above / Sea / Level / - / Asylum / for / insane / (Front / View) /
Copyright. / F. / Foxcroft / Photo

Reverse:
1997.2454 / Postcard / THIS / SPACE / MAY / BE / USED / FOR / CORRESPONDENCE: / THIS / SPACE / FOR / NAME / AND / ADDRESS / STAMP