Form of Insanity: Ararat Lunatic Asylum: The First Forty Years - Mothers and Children

The haunting corridors of the historic Aradale Mental Hospital tell a story of decay and forgotten lives. Once bustling with the raw sounds of childbirth, children's cries, and everyday routines behind its imposing ha-ha walls, today the institution stands silent - its peeling paint and rotting plaster echoing a past long gone.

Yet, the lives of those who once called Ararat Lunatic Asylum home, especially the mothers and children between 1867 and 1907, are being brought back to life in a new book by author Jacqui Sanders.

Form of Insanity - Ararat Lunatic Asylum The First Forty Years Mothers and Children uncovers a multitude of personal stories through extensive archival research including admission records, newspaper articles, death certificates, and sepia photographs. This book sheds light on the political, social, and cultural forces that confined and controlled marginalized citizens, exploring how these individuals' navigated life within the asylum's walls during a time when society's acceptance was limited.