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Objective: To examine the history of Fremantle, Western Australia's first purpose-built asylum., Method: A range of primary sources were consulted., Results: Fremantle was opened in 1865 to house inmates away from the populace and for the most part under the care of Dr HC Barnett. Attendants as well as inmates were occupied with work roles that kept the asylum functioning cost effectively., Conclusion: Within 15 years, the structure was neglected and overcrowded. Changes to the Penal Servitude Act limiting convict transportation, petty crime and a need to manage its proliferation resulted in large numbers of people being incarcerated at Fremantle.

Objective: This paper describes the early settlement of Western Australia and colonial strategies implemented to manage the mentally ill., Conclusions: Western Australian Colonial treatment of the mentally ill began in 1829 with the first mentally ill patient, Dr Nicholas Were Langley. Building commenced to house the mentally ill with the use of a prison, 'The Round House', and later the temporary shelter 'Scott's Warehouse'. Both convicts and the mentally ill were initially housed together, but evidence exists of attempts to provide therapeutic diversions at Scott's Warehouse.