Yarra Bend cottages

The other feature of the asylum grounds that is emphasized in visual representations, is the rurality of the sites, both in terms of location and function. In fact, one of the interesting observations to note from representations of Yarra Bend and Kew is that the proximity to the city or suburbs is never referenced, despite the fact that eye witness accounts indicate that the nearby city and suburbs could be clearly seen in 1858 (Report from the Select Committee upon the Lunatic Asylum, 1858 12). Further, representations of the asylum as a rural retreat, persisted well into the 20th century, even when the sites were abutted by suburbs. An example of this is the 1920 postcard of the road through Yarra Bend that crossed the Yarra River to Kew, Track to the Asylum which retains the device of the picturesque and rural in both visual and verbal language (Fig. 80.9). 

The ambiance of a rural property is also evident in a series of 31 photographs taken by a government official within the grounds of the newly closed Yarra Bend Asylum in 1927 (Fig. 80.10) which give no indication of the crowded suburbs on the other side of the river (Fig. 80.11). 

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Fig. 80.8 Yarra Bend cottages, 1861 (Photo by Jean-Baptiste Charlier, State Library of Victoria)...

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