Former Ballarat Asylum, Orphanage and Children’s Home

More than 4,000 children, including members of the Stolen Generation, stayed at these institutions over the 117 years of its operation: eating, sleeping, playing, learning and working to sustain the institution.

GML was commissioned by the City of Ballarat to develop graphic design concepts for heritage interpretation for this historically and socially significant site. Engagement with ex-residents in developing the heritage interpretation is at the core of the project, ensuring their voices are heard and memories articulated sensitively in this new landscape. The City of Ballarat will present completed design concepts and indicative costings back to the developers at the end of the process for feedback and to progress the design.

Guided by the Interpretation Plan and the co-designed visual language, GML has proposed installations that will feature signage, inset objects, soundscapes and text. A digital overlay is also being considered as part of the next stage of interpretation planning, so an archive of oral histories and photographs can become accessible to a wider audience.