Ladies Cottage Asylum Day tour

Step into one of Tasmania’s most significant and moving historic sites during Dark Mofo.

Willow Court, established in 1827, is one of the oldest and longest continually operating mental health institutions in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere.

This intimate guided daytime experience opens the historic Ladies Cottage Asylum (1868) with respect and care. Guests are warmly welcomed in the neighbouring Nurses Quarters with refreshments. Your expert guide will then lead you inside Ladies Cottage, sharing the powerful layered stories of Willow Court and the women who once called this place home.

Wander at your own pace through the preserved rooms and corridors, where guests often feel as much as they see. Discover original institutional features — heavy doors with looking holes, ventilation grates, and small rooms — together with selected artefacts unearthed by Flinders University archaeology students beneath the veranda of Ladies Cottage.

A respectful, emotional, and unforgettable journey into Tasmania’s past.

As part of the Dark Mofo program, you will also experience Dominic Romeo’s powerful photographic exhibition “La Terra Sacra” which is only on display during the Dark Mofo period.