The Female Orphan School building is a key witness to some of the most significant social changes in Australian history. The building has shaped thousands of lives over the two centuries it has stood on the banks of the Parramatta River. Whilst something of a hidden treasure, the building is of immense significance to Australia's social history. It is one of the very few surviving public buildings of its size dating from the early colonial period.
The building stands on the traditional lands of the Darug people, the traditional owners of the Western Sydney area who maintain their deep connection to the land. For most of its life, the building accommodated those who, for whatever reason, were left on the periphery of society.
Its first function was to accommodate, educate and train Sydney's 'orphaned' children. After its life as an orphanage, it served as a psychiatric hospital and its changing use over the subsequent years reflected society's evolving understanding of mental illness. By the mid s, the philosophies the building embodied had become obsolete, and the building became disused and fell into disrepair.
Recognising its heritage significance, the University of Western Sydney now known as Western Sydney University saw to the building's restoration in a series of projects beginning in The Female Orphan School has now been revivified as the centrepiece of the university's Parramatta campus.
The Whitlam Institute which now occupies the building is committed to ensuring that the building will be accessible as a truly open, public and democratic space for future generations to appreciate and enjoy. The Female Orphan School was built as an expression of the colonial government's policy of providing care for young 'orphaned' girls.
