The Dunwich Benevolent Asylum was a Benevolent Asylum for the aged, infirm and destitute operated by the Queensland Government in Australia. It was located at Dunwich on North Stradbroke Island in Moreton Bay and operated from 1865 to 1946. [1]
The Dunwich Benevolent Asylum was a Benevolent Asylum for the aged, infirm and destitute operated by the Queensland Government in Australia. It was located at Dunwich on North Stradbroke Island in Moreton Bay and operated from 1865 to 1946. [1]
The Dunwich Benevolent Asylum was established under the Benevolent Asylum Wards Act of 1861 to provide accommodation and care to poor people unable to care for themselves due to illness or infirmity. It opened on 13 May 1865 with the transfer of initial patients from the Benevolent Ward of the Brisbane General Hospital. [1]
Over 21,000 people were admitted to the asylum during its operation, with around 1000 to 1600 at any one time. [2] Those who died in the asylum were generally buried in the Dunwich Cemetery unless families made other arrangements. In the 80 years spanning 1867-1947, 8,426 former inmates of the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum were buried in the Dunwich Cemetery. [3]
It operated until 30 September 1946, after which the patients were transferred to the newly opened Eventide Home at Sandgate, a northern suburb of Brisbane. Most of the buildings were subsequently destroyed. [1] [4] However, some buildings remain including the heritage-listed St Mark's Anglican Church and Dunwich Public Hall. [5]
The 'Aboriginal Gang' that worked the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum were the first Aboriginal people in Australia to receive equal wages. In 1944, after a 25 year campaign, the Aboriginal workers gained equal wages almost 20 years before anywhere else in Australia. The Asylum closed shortly after with the Aboriginal Gang only getting equal wages for one and a half years. [6]
The asylum occupied most of the current Dunwich township. There were many buildings with wards for men, women and Asiatics. It had a kitchen, bakery, laundry and other service buildings including a power station from 1926. It had a public hall, recreational facilities and a visitor centre for social activities. A farm with associated outbuildings provided meat and dairy products. [2] A 1913 map shows it occupying the coastal area from Dunwich Cemetery down to the present day jetty and inland to approximately the present day Mitchell Crescent and Barton Street. Swamps are shown beyond the boundaries. [7]
Archival material on Dunwich Benevolent Asylum is held by the Queensland State Archives and by the North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum.
Sandgate is a northern coastal suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Sandgate had a population of 4,909 people.
Stradbroke Island, also known as Minjerribah, was a large sand island that formed much of the eastern side of Moreton Bay near Brisbane, Queensland until the late 19th century. Today the island is split into two islands: North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island, separated by the Jumpinpin Channel.
North Stradbroke Island, colloquially Straddie or North Straddie, is an island that lies within Moreton Bay in the Australian state of Queensland, 30 kilometres (19 mi) southeast of the centre of Brisbane. Originally there was only one Stradbroke Island but in 1896 it split into North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island separated by the Jumpinpin Channel. The Quandamooka people are the traditional owners of North Stradbroke island.
Redland City, better known as the Redlands and formerly known as Redland Shire, is a local government area and a part of the Brisbane metropolitan area in South East Queensland. With a population of 156,863 in June 2018, the city is spread along the southern coast of Moreton Bay, covering 537.2 square kilometres (207.4 sq mi). Its mainland borders the City of Brisbane to the west and north-west, and Logan City to the south-west and south, while its islands are situated north of the City of Gold Coast.
Peel Island is a small heritage-listed island located in Moreton Bay, east of Brisbane, in South East Queensland, Australia. The island is a locality within the local government area of Redland City and a national park. In the 2016 census, Peel Island had a population of 0 people.
Nundah is an inner suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It contains the neighbourhood of Toombul. In the 2016 census, Nundah had a population of 12,141 people.
Cleveland is a coastal and central locality in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Cleveland had a population of 14,801 people.
Boondall is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Boondall had a population of 9,217 people.
Brighton is a coastal northern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Brighton had a population of 9,479 people.
Dunwich, known as Goompi by the Quandamooka people, is a town and locality on the western side of North Stradbroke Island in Queensland, Australia. Dunwich is part of the Redland City local government area, administered from the bayside town of Cleveland on the Queensland mainland. In the 2016 census, Dunwich had a population of 864 people.
Point Lookout is a headland, small coastal town and locality on the eastern coast of North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah), Redland City, Queensland, Australia. At the 2021 census, the locality of Point Lookout had a population of 785 people.
Amity is a rural town and locality in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Amity had a population of 387 people.
Deagon is an outer northern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Deagon had a population of 3,675 people.
RAAF Station Sandgate was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) station located at Brighton, Queensland during World War II.
The North Stradbroke Island Historical Museum is a museum founded in 1987 to present the history of North Stradbroke Island. It is found at 15-17 Welsby Street, in Dunwich on North Stradbroke Island. The museum comprises four buildings: the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum, the main building, the Herdsman's Hut, and a replica of the first Dunwich Post Office. The museum also contains archives with local documents and images.
Dunwich Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery at Bingle Road, Dunwich, North Stradbroke Island in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1847 to 1952. It is also known as One Mile Cemetery. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.
Dunwich Convict Causeway is a heritage-listed causeway at Junner Street, Dunwich, North Stradbroke Island in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1827 by convict labour for the Moreton Bay penal settlement. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 22 October 1999.
Dunwich Public Reserve is a heritage-listed archaeological site at Junner Street, Dunwich, North Stradbroke Island in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1827 to 1828. It is also known as Privy Pit, Convict Barracks, and Convict Store within the Moreton Bay penal settlement. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 25 February 2000.
St Mark's Anglican Church and Dunwich Public Hall are a heritage-listed church and public hall at Junner Street, Dunwich, North Stradbroke Island in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. The church was built in 1907 and the hall c. 1913 as part of the Dunwich Benevolent Asylum. The Dunwich Public Hall is also known as Benevolent Asylum Mess Hall. They were added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 28 July 2000.
Myora Mission was established as a mission station in 1892 in the Colony of Queensland, at Moongalba on Stradbroke Island. It became an Aboriginal reserve and "industrial and reform school" in 1896, was used as a source of cheap labour, and eventually closed in 1943.
This Wikipedia article incorporates text from Getting Equal: Australia's first successful Aboriginal wages case (13 September 2021) published by the State Library of Queensland under CC-BY licence , accessed on 30 September 2021. 
Media related to Dunwich Benevolent Asylum at Wikimedia Commons
