Established in 1865

The Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum was Queensland's first public health institution, located on the banks of the Brisbane River near Goodna on Tuesday, January 10, 1865.  A Border Police Station was previously located on the site, serving as a vital outpost for protecting the interests of the growing community. Over the years, the surrounding landscape became home to many of the State's major institutional facilities, including prisons, an army barracks, and a migration hostel. On Tuesday the 10th January of 1865, under the supervision of warder, John Phillips seven prison warders (two of them women) along with ten police constables escorted 57 male and 12 female patients, female patients were under the charge of two female warders were moved from the Brisbane Gaol to the newly built asylum at Woogaroo since 1859, Queensland patients had no longer been sent to Sydney. Still, they were lodged instead at the Brisbane Gaol. When the asylum was ready, patients were loaded into cabs and taken down to the Brisbane River, where they boarded a steamer named "Settler". They were conveyed down the Brisbane River to the landing point just before Woogaroo Creek. Embarkation was successfully managed, with 57 males and 12 females safely lodged in their new quarters. Patients were accommodated in a two-storey brick building, initially intended as the administration block. Male patients were accommodated on the first floor and on part of the ground floor, while female patients occupied the remainder of the ground floor. A tall timber fence surrounded the building, and timber outbuildings accommodated a kitchen, bathroom and staff areas.  Dr Kersey Cannan was appointed as Superintendent, and

A residence was constructed for him on-site, northeast of the main asylum buildings.​

Indigenous people would be among the earliest inhabitants of the asylum, but not in significant numbers. Instead, the institution was rapidly populated from its earliest days by immigrant settlers, who made up the majority of the colony’s growing population. At least 45 of the 57 males first brought to the new asylum were still there two years later, when an inquiry was held. Immigrants had come from many countries, contributing to the colonial population, particularly from Ireland, England, Germany, Scotland, and China.

The first buildings consisted of a male division, erected near the creek, and a female division, located further up the hill. The superintendent's quarters stood between them; due to recurring floods, additional buildings were erected further up the hill, where the current complex is located today. Over the years, the complex has also comprised several public health institutions, several of which have now been decommissioned. Over the course of its history, it has housed a diverse cohort of patients, including those with psychiatric illnesses, intellectual disabilities, acquired brain injuries, psychogeriatric conditions, neurological disorders, and substance use disorders. The site of the original asylum today serves as the Wolston Park golf club & course.

The Asylum has long been a dominant institution in the region and has recently undergone significant change.

Over the years, sections and services have been closed, and buildings have been handed over to other government departments and service organisations.​

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