Farm Complex

The Farm Complex is located toward the northwest portion of the site near the river and stretches south along a winding vehicle road that connects the main patient ward areas north to the farm areas.  A second road, Aveyron Road, carries on from the end of Explorers Walk and leads east up to the Basil Stafford Centre.

A large dam is at the centre of the area and there are former farm buildings/remnants to its north and south.

The Farm Ward Complex comprises (generally from south to north):

• Piggery Remnants (1916-19)

• Dam (1950) and Pump House (by 1956)

• Later Farm Ward for Male Patients (c1964, later called Weeroona)

• Farm Overseer’s House (1918, relocated within complex area c2009-13)

• Early Farm Ward Kitchen and Dairy (1916)

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Piggery Remnants (1916-19)

Remnants of the former piggery (1916-19) are located on the eastern side of Explorer’s Walk. All structures have been removed, however, the large, terraced area of land where the piggery stood retains concrete slabs and paths. Running along the downhill edge of the area is an off-form reinforced concrete wall with a cast iron pipe outlet and low walls forming a square concrete feature on its eastern side.

Features of the Piggery Remnants of state-level cultural heritage significance also include:

• Large flat terrace

• Concrete slab remnants

• Concrete walls and iron pipe

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Dam (1950) and Pump House (by 1956)

North of the Piggery Remnants within bushland is a large dam reservoir (1950) formed in a valley over a natural creek.

Its dam wall is a tall earth embankment with Explorer’s Walk running across its top and on its western side is a concrete outlet partially lined with stone emptying toward the river.

A Pump House (by 1956) stands near the dam wall on the north side of the reservoir built to feed the nearby farm areas and the distant vegetable gardens north of the Male Patients Area, it is a small rectangular building with a gable roof.

Features of the Dam and Pump House of state-level cultural heritage significance also include:

• Dam wall; roadway top; western outlet

• Pump House (excluding all pump equipment, pipes

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Later Farm Ward for Male Patients (c1964, Weeroona)

North of the Dam, standing on the western side of the intersection of Explorers Walk and Aveyron Road is the Later Farm Ward for Male Patients.

It is a large face brick building, primarily one-storey but with a partial lower ground floor level under its southern section.

It has a shallow-pitched gable roof with skylights.

It has been stripped of most internal linings but retains most of its original floor plan layout.

Most original windows and skylights have been removed, and it is used as a training centre for police.

Features of the Later Farm Ward for Male Patients of state-level cultural heritage significance also include:

• Original face brick structure with concrete dressings and steel-framed roof with skylight openings

• Original internal partitions (smooth plastered masonry)

• Original layout: upper ground floor – main entrance lobby and rear loading dock with storerooms in the centre, four large dormitories and one ablution block at the northern end, and large living/dining room and servery kitchen at the southern end; lower ground floor – partitions have been changed

• Views from the living/dining room south to the nearby surrounding bushland.

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Farm Overseer’s House (1918, relocated within complex area c2009-13)

The Farm Overseer’s House (1918), relocated from its original position nearby to the east to stand north of the Later Farm Ward for Male Patients, is a one-storey timber-framed and-clad residence with a hip roof. In its new location, it has been rotated to face northeast and has been raised high on steel and timber stumps. In 2020 it is vacant and used as a training centre for police.

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Features of the Farm Overseer’s House of state-level cultural heritage significance also include:

• Location: in proximity to early farms location and near farm buildings. However, due to being relocated, its exact (or current) location within the farm area is not significant

• Original external fabric including weatherboard cladding, timber framed skillion window hoods with battened cheeks, battened eaves, corrugated metal roof sheets

• External hipped roof form with L-shaped wrap-around verandah

• Original internal layout with single-skin VJ partitions.

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Early Farm Ward Kitchen and Dairy (1916)

Standing east of the Farm Overseer’s House is the Early Farm Ward Kitchen and Dairy built in 1916.

These two small masonry buildings stand on a raised island of land surrounded by a large lower area that has been flattened to form a driver training track for police.

These buildings are the rear outbuildings for a large early farm ward that stood in front of them but has been demolished.

The kitchen fireplace has been demolished. Changes that have been made that are not of state-level cultural heritage significance include: adding a verandah awning to the south side of the kitchen building and an awning between buildings, cutting a door into the north wall of the scullery to connect it to the heating room, and enclosing the verandah on the south end of the Dairy building and adding a small extension to its north end. The buildings have been converted for use as a staff kitchenette, toilets, and for storage for the track.

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Features of the Early Farm Ward Kitchen and Dairy buildings of state-level cultural heritage significance also include:

• One-storey, masonry, hip roof forms

• Layout:  Kitchen building – three rooms comprising (south to north) kitchen, scullery, and heating room Dairy building – southern verandah and one room comprising milk can room

• Window openings in the Kitchen building (excludes recent sashes)

• Doorway between kitchen and scullery

• The lower level of the heating room and its rear access facing the Dairy building showing the functional relationship between these two buildings

• Ventilation panels at cornice line in milk can room of Dairy building (excludes later sheeting over).