Ararat, Victoria
J Ward Museum Lunatic Asylum J Ward started its life as a goldfields prison in 1859. When the gold ran out in the mid 1880s the prison buildings were acquired by the Lunacy Department as a temporary housing for the Criminally Insane. The County Gaol then became a ward (J Ward) of the Ararat Lunatic Asylum where the most depraved and most dangerous men in Victoria were housed in horrific conditions under highest security.  J Ward was decommissioned in 1991 and opened as a museum to the public in 1993.  J Ward  is open to the public and tours are held daily.