HM Prison Fairlea, Former women's prison in Fairfield, Australia
HM Prison Fairlea was a women's correctional facility located within Yarra Bend Park, comprising multiple buildings with cottage-style housing units and spaces dedicated to rehabilitation programs. The site reused structures from the former Yarra Bend Asylum before being demolished, leaving only the basketball courts and a Parks Victoria office as visible remnants.
The prison opened in 1956 as Victoria's first facility exclusively for women and operated for roughly 40 years before closure in 1996. The shutdown followed shifts in Victoria's correctional system toward privatized management.
The facility became known for experimenting with rehabilitation approaches designed specifically for women, introducing programs that focused on life skills and social reintegration rather than purely punitive measures. Visitors today can sense how this approach shaped the physical layout and daily routines within the grounds.
The site is now part of a public park, allowing visitors to access the remaining features without entry fees or advance bookings. It is best explored during daylight hours to clearly observe the surviving structures like the basketball courts and any interpretive markers.
A major fire in 1982 resulted in three inmate deaths and sparked significant reforms in how female prisons across Victoria were managed and operated. This disaster became a turning point for safety standards and procedures in women's correctional facilities throughout the region.
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