J Ward Gaol & Aradale Asylum in Ararat, Victoria | Landmark & historical place

J Ward Gaol & Aradale Asylum

Locality: Ararat, Victoria

Phone: +61 3 5352 3357

Address: 1-7 Girdlestone st 3377 Ararat, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.jward.org.au

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• Landmark & historical place
• History Museum
• Landmark

25.01.2022 Today we hosted the wedding of Michelle and Ash. Not perfect weather but at least the happy couple got to finally tie the knot after a not so nice covid 2020. We wish them all the happiness for the future. Photographer - Bruce Thomas Photography marque from Pure Vibe Event Hire

25.01.2022 The Ararat Advocate have been doing a great job supporting local businesses and groups. Stay tuned, we will try to post the whole story tomorrow, alternatively locals can buy the The Ararat Advocate themselves.

25.01.2022 Colin Farrell, thanks for the plug (nearly). It was a pleasure working on such an amazing journey of a production. . Colin plays the brutish killer Henry Dra...x in the upcoming BBC2 drama series The North Water alongside Jack OConnell (@jackoconnell) as Patrick Sumners, Stephen Graham as Captain Brownlee, Roland Møller (@roland_moller) as Otto and Sam Spruell as Cavendish. . Written and directed by Andrew Haigh (@andrewhaighfilm) Produced by @See_Saw_Films for @BBCtwo Productions services by @polarx90 . . . #thenorthwater #northwatertv #bbcdrama #seesawfilms #andrewhaigh #colinfarrell #jackoconnell #bbc #stephengraham #samspruell #rolandmoller #jasonrobertsproductions #PolarX @northwatertv @andrewhaigfilm @northwatertv @jackoconnell @kateogborn @nickwallphotography @thatgarylamont @roland_moller @stephen-mc93 @johnsonk191 @see_saw_films @bbctwo @sheltondupreez @luxuryyachtfilms @oliviarosehulme @simon_rubaudo @roxysarris @francescarubi @eddie_lewis99 @cuervopixel @johnsonk191 @osc.lopez.1 @genedube @laali_living_life @zoe_nemes @a.duranphoto @hjucy @hildegardhaide @halvorkristoffersen @el_mataleo @mikaelhar @liveyourlife.gl @polarx90 See more

22.01.2022 If you will be in the Ararat area for the long weekend coming up then J Ward and Aradale tours will operate to a public holiday timetable on Monday 10 June. J Ward approx 1-1.5hr tours - 10am, 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm. Aradale approx 2hr long tours - 11am and 2pm

21.01.2022 Sadly due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, J Ward and Aradale will be closed from Monday 13 July until further notice. All existing bookings will be honoured and some tickets will be available on these tours. We will be updating the situation as the pandemic evolves and will be guided by the Government advice and availability of our volunteer guides.

21.01.2022 While J Ward is closed due to covid-19 and everyone is under social distancing restrictions, why not purchase one of the books available about the Old Ararat Ga...ol/J Ward. Executions at the Old Ararat Gaol by Judy Barry ($15 plus P&H) is a collection of articles from 1870 to 1884 that the Ararat & Pleasant Creek Advertiser published regarding the three prisoners executed at the Gaol. To order please phone (03) 5352 3357 with your credit/debt card details.

20.01.2022 Friends of J Ward would like to notify our followers that in the interest of our volunteers and the general public that as of Monday 23rd March we will be putting our tours of J Ward and Aradale on hold until further notice due to the covid-19 pandemic. Our Sectretary is currently contacting those with future bookings to offer a refund or transfer of ticket to a later date. If you have any queries please don't hesitate to contact us. Please take care and we hope to see you when we reopen our doors. EDIT: Please note this only applies to day tours run by Friends of J Ward. J Ward Ghost Tours run by Lantern Ghost Tours and Aradale Ghost Tours run by Eerie Ghost Tours are still running to the best of our knowledge, however we advise that you contact them if you have any concerns or enquiries.

18.01.2022 This was a great event last year, good to see it back at J Ward again

18.01.2022 Friends of J Ward are hoping to resume tours of J Ward and Aradale from Monday 29th June. Initially we will be restricting the J Ward tours to 2 per day at 10am and 1pm. Aradale tours will only be conducted at 2pm on Wednesday and Sunday. Combined tickets are available. There will be a maximum of 20 people per tour time in 2 groups of 10. If sufficient numbers have booked on-line prior to the day then a third group of 10 may be accommodated. It is advised that you book online... as these bookings will be prioritised and walk up customers may join a tour if there is capacity. If you have any symptoms of Covid -19 infection we request that you not attend. Refunds will be arranged if you have pre-payed but are not able to attend, provided we are notified prior to the tour time. Thank you and we hope to see you soon

18.01.2022 While we are still waiting to resume tours our band of gardeners are keeping the place looking lovely. Hopefully these blooms will still be there when we are allowed to conduct tours again.

18.01.2022 Don't forget J Ward will be running 6 tours each day of the school holidays. We also have Aradale tours back up and running. See below for all details and online booking links. https://www.jward.org.au/book-your-visit/ https://www.aradale.com.au/book-your-visit/

17.01.2022 Museum reading - J Ward 1886-1991 (apologies for the quality, these documents are laminated so there will be some reflection)

17.01.2022 Due to covid restrictions even when J ward are conducting tours a lot of the exhibits are off limits as they can't be sanitized regularly. We will be posting some of the readings found in the museum at the end of thr tour for you to read. Museum reading - Ararat County Gaol Hangings. (apologies for the quality, these documents are laminated so there will be some reflection)

16.01.2022 Day tours will be resuming Saturday 21 November YAY! Tours of J Ward will be conducted at 10am and 1pm daily Aradale at 2pm ONLY on Wednesday and Sunday... Combined J Ward/Aradale on Wednesday and Sunday as per website. PLEASE NOTE: ALL TOURS MUST BE PRE BOOKED ONLINE! https://www.jward.org.au/book-your-visit/

14.01.2022 Three days until tours resume at J Ward (four for Aradale). Still spots available on our first tour in 4 months. Important to remember tickets MUST be booked online before the tour. https://www.jward.org.au/book-your-visit/... https://www.aradale.com.au/book-your-visit/ See more

12.01.2022 Proceedings of Inquiry held upon the body of G.F.Fiddimont at Ararat Gaol. Kate Grano on her oath saith: Yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon at about ten minutes to four Mrs Campbell and I visited Mrs Fiddimont at her residence in the Gaol building. After we had been there a little time we went to the Governor's Office where we saw Mr Fiddimont. He at Mrs Fiddimonts suggestion proceeded to show us over the gaol building. Mrs Fiddimont remaining in the house. After going through a p...ortion of the gaol we went into the gaol kitchen and were about to ascend the steps leading from the kitchen when I heard Mr Fiddimont say "I have such pains in my chest" and I saw him put his hands on his chest. He went down a passage near the steps saying there is a bathroom here. We did not go to look at the bathroom and he was about to turn back when I heard him say again "Oh these pains". I then saw him put his hand on the wall as if to save himself from falling, he then sank on his knees and fell gently over on his left side. I called out to the prisoners in the kitchen to carry him upstairs. I went to the top of the stairs and called one of the wardens to come quickly. The prisoners carried him into a little yard off the kitchen and put him on his back. I held up his head until one of the prisoners brought and placed a blanket under it. One of the prisoners brought some water in a pannikin and I mopped his head and face with my handkerchief. I sent one of the prisoners for brandy and poured some of it down Mr Fiddimont's throat. His mouth was open. There was a little yellow matter from his nostrils. When I gave the brandy he made a sound something like a groan. I rubbed his head and face with my hands and I undid his shirt at the back and when doing so felt a movement about his head and shoulders and he made a very slight groan. This seemed to me to be the last sign of life. I asked one of the prisoners if he could feel the heart beating and he replied No and some of the others said it was a case. They were at that time rubbing his chest with brandy and rubbing his hands. At Mrs FIddimonts request I then went for a doctor. I next saw Mr Fiddimont on his bed the doctor being present. I left to send a telegram from Mrs Fiddimont. The deceased never awoke from the time I saw him fall. The prisoners present did all in their power to assist and revive him. Kate Grano Taken & sworn before me at the Ararat Gaol the 15th Sept. 1886 T.Tobin J.P.

11.01.2022 In the last 4 years we have brought over a million dollars in ticket sales into Ararat (plus accommodation, food, fuel, etc). Not bad for a bunch of old retirees.

11.01.2022 Not interested in the AFL GF today? Come on up to J Ward for a tour with one of our awesome tour guides - tours on the hour from 10am to last tour departing at 3pm.

11.01.2022 For those who have been on a tour of J Ward you may have heard the story of "Dumby" Freeman, here is what was found in Det. Piggott's scrapbooks of the case. WARNING: some of this reading may be graphic to some people

10.01.2022 Wood on the shed before winter arrives. Good to have a helper.

10.01.2022 Check out this bit of local history.

09.01.2022 Heres the full story from The Ararat Advocate about Robert Francis Burns who was hanged in the Old Ararat Gaol

09.01.2022 Museum reading - Ararat County Gaol 1861-1886

08.01.2022 Mt Waverley Combined Probus Club visited J Ward today for a tour followed by lunch supplied by Sandi at The Leopold Hotel. The group were part of the 168 visitors that toured both J Ward and Aradale. Tours will continue at J Ward tomorrow (Monday) on the hour commencing at 10am with the last leaving at 3pm.

07.01.2022 The following article about Robert Francis Burns appeared in the Herald Sun "In Black and White" August 12, 2019. A link to the article for those of you who are HS subscribers is at the bottom. Was this Australias first serial killer? He was a cold-blooded murderer who turned on his mates - and was hanged in Victoria for his crimes. But how many lives did Robert Francis Burns really take?... If Robert Francis Burns confession to his hangman can be believed, he may well have been Australias first serial killer. Burns was hanged in 1883 at HM Prison Ararat for the murder of one man. But minutes before he was executed he told the hangman he had cooked another seven victims. The cold-blooded killer, who murdered his mates for their money, is the subject of the latest episode of the In Black and White podcast, out today. Burns story is told in a new book called Grave Tales: True Crime by journalists Helen Goltz and Chris Adams. Adams says Burns confessed to hangman Elijah Upjohn who hanged Ned Kelly three years earlier while he was preparing him for execution. While he was pinioning him, that is tying his arms to his body Upjohn said to him, Have you got anything to say? Adams says. He said, Ive cooked eight people, and now youre going to cook me. Upjohn asked him the question, Well, where were they? and he said there were five in Victoria and three in Sydney. If Upjohn had halted the execution at that moment so Burns could be interrogated, the mystery of whether he really murdered eight men would have been quickly solved. Instead, the execution proceeded and, with Burns dead, Adams says it appears police did little to try to identify the other seven victims. It was left to an investigative reporter for The Herald newspaper to later uncover the other victims identities. Adams believes Burns may have confessed because he was desperate to get it off his chest to somebody before he died. He was never going to be let off, Adams says. All he was going to do maybe was satisfy his desire for notoriety thats a possibility. The unfortunate part about it is the matter of whether Burns was our first serial killer or not really hangs on this statement, so therefore the question is: Can he be believed?

07.01.2022 Whilst we are in lockdown with the Covid-19, some of our volunteers keep themselves busy by working on our displays in J Ward, ready for the next opening. Our display on the Electro-Convulsive Therapy cell has had an upgrade.

07.01.2022 Reminder limited tours will resume as of Monday 29th June at J Ward (daily during school holidays at 10am and 1pm) and Aradale (2pm Wednesday and Sunday during school holidays). Each tour can only accommodate two groups of 10 patrons. Priority will be given to online bookings, so it is advised to book online prior to tour. Prior to tour commencement a guide will advise; please do not take a tour if you have symptoms of Covid-19 or have recently been in contact with someone wi...th Covid-19, or if you reside in one of the at risk municipalities in Melbourne. You will also be required to provide names and contact numbers for each person attending a tour. These conditions are in line with government guidelines for the safety of the community and FoJW volunteers. Thank you for your assistance.

06.01.2022 Following on from previous post, please note closure only effects Aradale tours. Tours of J Ward are still fully operational 7 days a week (Mon-Sat 10am, 11am, 1pm and 2pm. Sundays every hour on the hour from 10am to last tour beginning at 3pm).

06.01.2022 Due to a TOTAL FIREBAN ARADALE ASYLUM will NOT be open for tours tomorrow (Wednesday 22nd January) Thanks.

06.01.2022 J WARD & ARADALE TOURS SUSPENDED Tourism is another industry that is taking a big hit at present. Friends of J Ward decided late last week to put all of their J Ward and Aradale tours on hold until further notice. President Peter Waterman explains the decision.

05.01.2022 Looking for something to do these school holidays ? JWard is open every day with tours at 10am 11am 12pm 1pm 2pm and 3pm Have a look at the pay rates back in 1971 and check out the dentists room in the museum

04.01.2022 East Grampians Business Awards 2019 Peoples Choice voting is now opened. FoJW Inc pride ourselves in providing a high quality service to our guests. With over 12,000 of you through J Ward and Aradale to date this year it would be fantastic for you to follow the link below and vote for us

03.01.2022 Fantastic news from one of our biggest tourist attractions.

03.01.2022 FIRST LOOK: The North Water . Set in the ice floes of the Arctic in the late 1850s, The North Water tells the story of Patrick Sumner, played by Jack OConn...ell, a disgraced ex-army surgeon who signs up as ships doctor on a whaling expedition. On board he meets the brutish killer Henry Drax played by Colin Farrell and finds himself in a male-dominated world on an ill-fated journey with a murderous psychopath. In search of redemption, his story becomes a harsh struggle for survival in the Arctic wasteland. @northwatertv . Colin Farrell as Henry Drax in The North Water, Jack OConnell (@jackoconnell) as Patrick Sumner, Stephen Graham as Captain Brownlee, Roland Møller (@roland_moller) as Otto, Sam Spruell as Cavendish. . Written and directed by Andrew Haigh (@andrewhaighfilm) Produced by @See_Saw_Films for @BBCtwo Productions services #jasonrobertsproductions @polarx90 Photos by #nickwall @nickwallphotography . A fun element - the most northerly drama ever shot. Believe us, something to look forward to in 2020. . . . . . . #thenorthwater #northwatertv #bbcdrama #seesawfilms #andrewhaigh #colinfarrell #jackoconnell #bbc #stephengraham #thenorthwater @northwatertv #northwatertv #bbcdrama #seesawfilms #andrewhaigh #colinfarrell #jackoconnell #bbc #stephengraham #samspruell #rolandmoller @northwatertv @andrewhaigfilm @jackoconnell #colinfarrell @kateogborn @nickwallphotography @thatgarylamont @roland_moller @eddie_lewis99 @stephen-mc93 @johnsonk191 @see_saw_films @bbctwo @sheltondupreez @luxuryyachtfilms @oliviarosehulme @simon_rubaudo @roxysarris @francescarubi @eddie_lewis99 @cuervopixel @johnsonk191 @osc.lopez.1 @genedube @laali_living_life @ Svalbard, Northernmost Norway See more

02.01.2022 Here are some of our Friends of J Ward volunteers being handcuffed and locked up in a trial run of a new escape room experience coming to J Ward. We will release more details soon.

02.01.2022 FOJW volunteers are looking forward to hosting your event. Plus enjoying the music as well.

01.01.2022 Remember this is the last week of Victorian School Holidays - J Ward is running 6 tours, every day this week, departing on the hour from 10am. Come along and meet one of our wonderful volunteers as they take you on a journey around the old Ararat County Gaol and J Ward - Asylum for the Criminally Insane. Tickets can be purchased online or at the gatehouse on arrival.

01.01.2022 Were you one of our first visitors back to J Ward today, or have tickets booked for Aradale tomorrow? Would love you to share any feedback or photos you have.