If you’re fascinated by eerie places, spine-chilling ghost stories, and a slice of Australian history, then you’re in for a treat. Today, we’re diving into the intriguing past of one of New South Wales’ most infamous locations – the Morisset Insane Asylum, nestled in the quiet town of Morisset near Newcastle. Ready to uncover its secrets? Let’s go!
The Beginning: When and Why Was Morisset Insane Asylum Created?
Back in the early 1900s, mental health care was a very different beast from what it is today. In 1908, the Morisset Insane Asylum was established to serve as a psychiatric hospital primarily for patients from the Hunter Region and northern NSW.
The government needed a facility to care for those struggling with mental illnesses, and Morisset was chosen for its remote and tranquil setting—ideal, they thought, for healing.
The asylum was built with a mix of imposing brick buildings and sprawling grounds. It was designed not just as a hospital but as a self-sufficient community. Patients worked on farms, gardens, and workshops as part of their therapy, a common practice back then.
Notorious Inmates and Life Inside the Asylum
While the records don’t highlight any “notorious” inmates in the way you might expect from a horror movie, the asylum housed thousands of patients over its many decades of operation. Many were people suffering from conditions that today would be treated quite differently—schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and other mental health issues.
Life inside was tough. The treatments were often harsh by modern standards, including electroconvulsive therapy and other now-outdated methods. Stories from former staff and patients hint at the strict rules, the loneliness, and the sometimes frightening atmosphere.
Closing Time: When Did the Asylum Shut Its Doors?
Morisset Insane Asylum operated for nearly 80 years, finally closing in 1993. By then, mental health care had shifted towards community-based treatment rather than large institutional settings. The closure marked the end of an era, but the buildings and grounds remained, slowly falling into disrepair.
What Happened Since Then?
After closing, the site was abandoned for some time, attracting vandals, urban explorers, and ghost hunters. The NSW government eventually sold parts of the land, and some buildings were repurposed or demolished.
Today, the Morisset site is a mix of private property and public land, with some remnants of the asylum still visible. It’s become a hotspot for those intrigued by the paranormal and local history alike.
Ghost Stories and Paranormal Activity
Now, here’s where things get really interesting!
The Morisset Insane Asylum has a reputation as one of Australia’s most haunted locations. Visitors and locals have reported strange noises, shadowy figures, and eerie feelings of being watched.
Morisset Hospital's Ward 21, also known as "The Crim," was a maximum-security facility for the criminally insane, operating from 1933 until its closure in 1991. It was notorious for its strict conditions and treatments like electroshock therapy. Now abandoned, it's a popular site for urban explorers, though caution is advised due to potential hazards like asbestos and debris.
Ward 21 at Morisset Hospital housed patients found to be both mentally ill and to have committed an offence between 1936 and 1990. Ward 22 was also used for this purpose during part of this period.
The term 'criminally insane' was used to describe both the facility and patients. The term comes from the Lunacy Act 1898. These wards were known as 'the Crim' for short by the Morisset community and hospital staff well after the term 'criminally insane' was removed by the Mental Health Act in 1958.
Dr Les Darcy found that schizophrenia was the most common diagnosis for patients, making up nearly 75% of those treated.
Other common diagnoses included depression, personality disorders and developmental disabilities. The most common criminal charges included murder, attempted murder and manslaughter. Many committed criminal offences while in a state of misinterpreted reality. This is known as `psychosis'. The intention of the facility was to create safety, both for patients and the community. Failures occurred, as they do in any system.
There were several escapes from 'the Crim'. The most serious was in 1979. Two prisoners escaped and were at large for 14 days. They committed multiple violent offences during this time. Maximum security patients were often very unwell and in close confinement for long periods. In the 1970s the suicide rate in maximum security unit at Morisset Hospital was at least 60 times that of males in the NSW population. Both Peter Kocan and Laurie Akers recounted instances of staff mistreating patients. A senior nurse was killed by a patient in 'the Crim' in 1969. He was stabbed in the head with a pair of garden shears.
Peter Kocan spent only 5 years in 'the Crim' following being charged with attempted murder. Indefinite periods of incarceration in security wards for mentally ill offenders have been recorded. The Lake Macquarie community remains fearful of and fascinated by the abandoned `Crim' today. The ruins of the facility are regularly visited and photographed.
When [the] tension level was high for any reason in the ward there would be a definite tendency for division into "them" (the patients) and “us” (the nursing staff) and a tendency for the staff to want to use punishment or the threat of it as a way of controlling the patients, just as might occur in a prison.
The Care of the Mentally Ill Offender in New South Wales Dr Les Darcy 1983
Some popular ghost stories include:
- **The Wailing Woman:** Many have heard a woman’s mournful cries echoing through the empty halls at night. Legend says she was a patient who never left.
- **Phantom Footsteps:** Footsteps that follow you but vanish when you turn around.
- **Cold Spots and Sudden Chills:** Visitors often experience sudden drops in temperature in certain areas.
- **Apparitions:** Shadowy figures have been spotted in windows or roaming the grounds.
This blog is just a start - it barly scrapes the surface!
But I want to hear from you - do you have a ghost story about the site?
Or maybe you knew a former inmate?
Please share your experiences in the comments.
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