AIDS Memorial Garden Fairfield - Walking Tour & Reflections

Remember Fairfield - from hospital to horticulture. This walking tour in collaboration with City of Yarra and Yarra Libraries will delve into the history of HIV/AIDS in Victoria, with stories from living legends who fought for the hospital to remain open. 

Originally established by Thorne Harbour Health volunteers over 30 years ago, the AIDS Memorial Garden remains a treasured resource and place of quiet reflection. The Garden is located on the grounds of the old Fairfield Hospital which was responsible for the care of the majority of HIV/AIDS patients in Victoria.

Join us on Friday November 29th, two days before World AIDS Day, for a history-filled tour of the gardens, with a free BBQ and storytelling.

Fairfield Hospital was originally opened in 1904. Diseases treated included typhoid, cholera, scarlet fever along with HIV/AIDS in its final years. Despite plans for the hospital's closure in the early 1990s, an unprecedented community campaign kept the hospital open. By the time it closed in 1996 it was the last specific infectious diseases hospital in Australia.

In 2004, after the site was acquired by Melbourne Polytechnic Fairfield (previously NMIT), the Garden was transformed into a valuable learning space for Horticulture and Landscape students. Interest in the old hospital grounds was rekindled in recent years with the release of the 2015 movie Holding The Man. This walking tour provides a rare opportunity to visit sections of the former hospital site not normally accessible to the general public.

Parking will be free at the Melbourne Polytechnic campus carpark for attendees from 5pm.

If you or a loved one has accessibility or mobility requirements, there's parking allocated closer to the garden. Please explain this to security upon entry and they will show you where to park.

If this is your first time at the Garden, once you park - follow the red ribbons to find us!