Beechworth Asylum is a decommissioned psychiatric hospital located on the outskirts of the rural Victorian town of Beechworth. First opened in 1867, it was one of a collection of large psychiatric hospitals that once serviced the state, and at its peak housed some 1,200 patients and 500 staff members. Following the royal commission into psychiatric care, the hospital was shut down in 1998 after running for 128 years. The grounds feature a unique architectural feature known as a “ha-ha wall.” These barriers were built into a trench, so they looked low…
