No longer taking patients - The old Rachel Forster Hospital

This hospital was opened in 1941 and was one of the first hospitals in Australia that provided women with doctors training. During its operation, it grew substantially from it's opening days, adding a general diseases clinic, a child clinic, an arthritis clinic and a mammography and great research clinic during it's operation.

The hospital was in operation for 59 years until it's closure in 2000, and has been zoned to home a high-density residential block, with over 150 flats, a car park and a public park. Unfortunately not much of the original building will be kept which is a shame due to it's history, but being fair, it's not the prettiest of old buildings.

It's actually pretty easy to walk past, I have done it several times and never noticed it was there, no abandoned (and i like to think i notice these things). There's a wood fence running around the perimeter, and overgrown trees shield the view of the building from the street. Once you get on the other side of the fence, it slaps you in the face how big this site is, and then when you venture up to the roof, the point is hammered in again, it's pretty big!

We started out journey from the top down, we scaled to the rooftop which had a great view of the city, but unfortunately was a bit cloudy so that ruined our sunrise. You can see the shape of the hospital from up top, its kind of like a 'W' shape. or an 'M' depending on how you look at it, but theres three long areas all joined by one section.

The first section seemed to be mostly rooms and wards, and a large file storage area as well. The degree of damage really varied greatly with each floor, even each room. Some were practically graffiti and damage free, yet some had been violently abused by vandals. One floor the lift doors had been painted and ripped off, yet on the floor below there wasn't a mark on them. Even on the same floor, you would have one room that was trashed and smashed, and then 15m down the hall you could find a room spotless, still with books neatly piled inside.

The middle section was the smallest of the lot, but the hallway that ran down was stunning with the morning light casting some pretty epic shadows. This was also the entrance and main stairwell into the hospital, and on the first floor an old working piano still sat, covered in dust and paint. A bathroom without a spec of graffiti was also to be found here, and even an old cool book hanging from the wall of what I could only assume was the kitchen wall.

Venture to the third wing of the hospital and here was a large waiting room, some small offices and what looked like consultation rooms. This area had been dealt the harshest hand from vandals. But was the most open area of the hospital and was still really interesting. And head downstairs to the bottom floor and the old hydrotherapy pool is still there, and is home to some pretty stagnant orange water and an assortment of water decorations.

I can not tell if work is being done on this, or if work has been halted for the moment. There is scaffolding lying around everywhere, wheel barrows, a few extensions cords and lights but it just felt lil nothing had been done here for a while. The lower floors have undergone some stripping, with window frames and all been torn out, but this is only a very small section that has undergone this. So if i was you and you were interested, I'd get there sooner rather then later as it's inevitable that it will be gone soon.

WHAT: A hospital that has been abandoned since 2000. The plans are to redevelop it into residential area, but I can't tell if the work was still going at the moment, or if it had been ceased.

ACCESS - MEDIUM – HARD: There is no way in unless you hop over the fence And the fence is pretty much plywood with little spikes or barb wire along the top. The spikes aren't big but they are uncomfortable and you wouldn't want to put to much weight on them. There may be some spots where the spikes are missing though...

SECURITY - MEDIUM – HIGH: This is located on a residential street with lots of people and is just off a main road, so getting over the fence undetected is the biggest challenge. Once you are over I think unless you make a lot of noise or are unlucky, you will be fine. There are rumours that this place is patrolled by police, not sure if this is still the case or not, so be careful.

INTEREST - 6.5/10: I was a little let down I won't lie. Don't get me wrong its still cool, but in the end it's a lot of empty rooms, some thrashed and some clean, not many cool artefact kind of things lying around except a couple of old phones, some sort of dispenser and a piano. There's still enough here to warrant a visit though. Not really any good graffiti either which is surprising.

ALONE OR WITH A FRIEND: Take a friend, the place is creepy and big! Unless you get thrills of going to these places alone.

DANGERS: Structurally it seemed good. No holes in floors or collapsed walls and ceilings. There was a sketchy fire escape but you could tell before you set foot on it it wasn't safe, as there was no floor just a frame and a few stairs. The main danger is the asbestos lurking around. I'm not expert, but i think there is a bit here so be careful and take a mask. We did see some black plastic wrapped parcels outside that I am pretty sure were asbestos.

Disclaimer – The person referred to as “I” in this post is not necessarily me, nor does “I” refer to anyone in particular, likewise with the word 'we'. I will not be held responsible it anyone ventures to these locations and gets in trouble or injured. These words may be a ramble of useless information and the photos found on a lost usb picked up in the gutter? Who knows?