Opened inside the former Parramatta Female Factory, the Parramatta Lunatic Asylum became Australia’s first institution for the mentally ill. Built on confinement, labour, and discipline, it reflected a time when “treatment” meant control over care. Overcrowding and harsh conditions were common, housing those considered ill, disabled, addicted, or unwanted. Later reforms slowly shifted the site toward medical supervision, becoming Cumberland Hospital. #ParramattaHistory #MentalHealthHistory #Colo

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