Old Hospital

The foundation stone for the erection of this medical outpost was laid in February 1888. The facility included an eight bed ward, two rooms for the Matron and her family, a surgery, and a dispensary. There was also a brick kitchen and ablution block behind the hospital. A shelter stood to the west for the local indigenous population, as they were unwilling to come inside for medical attention. The hospital had its own dairy cows, chooks and goats, which mingled freely about the town. Some years later, a residence for a doctor was erected to the east, and when the existing eight beds proved to be insufficient in the 1920s , the adjoining women's section was added (now privately owned). The small Morgue can still be seen on the front fence line of this property. The hospital functioned until 1976 when a new facility was erected in town (our current outpatients clinic). This beautiful landmark is apart of an automated self-guided tour on offer.