Ghost hunters, vandals risk safety in night visits to derelict Larundel Mental Hospital buildings
AN abandoned mental asylum in Melbourne’s north is still attracting ghost hunters and vandals, despite police warnings and regular patrols.
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ILLEGAL ghost hunts at the former Larundel mental asylum are an accident waiting to happen, police fear.
Darebin police Inspector Kelly Lawson said police were aware of trespassers sneaking into the run-down buildings at night for torchlight ghost hunts at the Bundoora site, which has a reputation for hauntings.
“It’s a well-known site for young people to go and congregate. They think it’s a bit of a thrill, but it is really dangerous,” she said.
Insp Lawson said dangers included broken glass, hazardous substances and the risk of falls.
Leader visited the site last week and found several abandoned buildings were accessible due to broken or incomplete temporary fencing. Beer cans and bottles littered the ground.
Insp Lawson said police would consult with the site developer DealCorp to improve fencing.
Larundel mental asylum closed in the 1990s and quickly gained a reputation among ghost hunters.
There are thousands of videos on YouTube featuring amateur ghost sleuths seeking the truth behind sordid rumours about the site.
Most of the original buildings have been demolished as part of a $500 million retail and residential project by developer DealCorp, but many imposing brick buildings remain.
Amateur ghost hunter Octavia, who asked not to be identified, visited the site last week.
“We were able to drive all around the site and take as many photos as we wanted,” she said.
Octavia said she noticed signs of bonfires and broken glass.
“We could have gone right inside but I was concerned about asbestos,” she said.
But DealCorp project director Andrew Wyman said concerns over security were unfounded.
“Our security company goes to extensive and costly efforts and we have seen an enormous reduction in unwanted visitors,” he said.
“The fencing is being fixed up all the time, but some people are illegally causing trouble to that fence on a regular basis.”
Trespassing is the latest issue to arise in connection with the former asylum.
Residents reported significant problems with hoon drivers last year, forcing the police and council to intervene.
Insp Lawson said the hoon problem had been resolved with increased police patrols and the installation of bollards.
LARUNDEL — A TIMELINE
1938 — Work begins on Larundel Mental Asylum in Bundoora to replace the ageing Kew Mental Hospital
1942 — RAAF takes over during WWII for training
1946 — Department of Housing uses site to provide emergency accommodation for 109 families
1949 — Families move out to make way for psychiatric patients from Mont Park Hospital
1953 — Larundel officially opens as a mental hospital with 387 patients
1955 — The hospital expands, allowing for about 750 patients, a quarter of whom were female
1960 — La Trobe University founded near the hospital
1968 — 15-year-old Peter Dupas spends two weeks as an inpatient. He later becomes a notorious serial killer
1999 — Larundel closes, following trends toward community care
2000s — La Trobe University takes over some buildings, while others are left abandoned. The site becomes popular among thrillseekers on illegal ghost tours
2008 — DealCorp buys most of the remaining site from the State Government
2012 — Work begins on DealCorp’s $500m Polaris development of the site
2017 — Many original buildings are gone with some of heritage value restored
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