A new immersive walking tour of the Abbotsford Convent will reveal the untold stories of the women and girls who lived and worked at the Convent from 1863 until 1975.
The Abbotsford Convent Foundation, the not-for-profit custodians of the Convent precinct, have partnered with feminist history collective, She Shapes History, to launch the new weekend tours.
Justine Hyde, CEO of Abbotsford Convent Foundation, says, “The Convent’s story is, in many ways, a story of women. It represents their courage, ingenuity and quiet acts of care.”
The She Shapes History walking tour provides a window into Victoria and Australia’s complex history of social welfare, and how places like the Abbotsford Convent shaped lives, communities, and the country far beyond its gates.
At its peak the Convent included a boarding school for country girls, an orphanage, a primary school, a finishing school and an asylum for women who had been through the justice system.
“There have been dark moments in the Convent’s history, but also moments of great humanity,” said Hyde. “To understand this place, you need to understand its history, and the tours invite people to view the Convent through a richer, more nuanced lens.
Whilst today the Convent is a not-for-profit arts, culture and learning precinct with no religious affiliations, the Abbotsford Convent Foundation acknowledges the site’s past and continues to honour the women and girls who were shaped by it.
“From the women who spearheaded the campaign to save the Convent to the female artists and creators who occupy the studios, there is a throughline of labour, care and creativity,” said Hyde.
Sita Sargeant, founder of She Shapes History, says, “The Abbotsford Convent is arguably one of Victoria’s most significant women’s history sites, and it was a great honour to be invited to bring these stories to life. “For too long, the women who shaped Australia have been left out of the story. Their contributions have been overlooked, untold, or erased.”
“The Convent tour highlights stories of friendships and resilience, hardship and humanity,” said Sargeant.
While few of the women profiled in the tour are household names, their stories are powerful, and reflective of society of the time. Some of the stories include:
- The four Irish nuns who voyaged to Australia in 1863 to establish a Convent to support disadvantaged women and girls for whom there was safety net (no social security, no government support, no refuges)
- Cecelia Ryan, the mother of Ronald Ryan, the last man to be executed in Australia. Cecelia’s daughters were sent to the Convent orphanage after being removed from her care, and Cecelia later lived at the Convent while her son was on death row.
- Mollie Dyer, the first Aboriginal girl to be admitted to the Convent boarding school in 1937. Mollie later campaigned to reform the Aboriginal foster care system and founded the Victorian Aboriginal Controlled Childcare Agency
- The women and girls who worked long hours in the Magdalen Laundry – without pay and under oppressive conditions – as a form of penitence for offences including “Writing grossly offensive letters” and “Dwelling in a house of ill repute”. The Abbotsford Magdalen Laundry remains one of the few of its kind that has survived largely intact.
The Abbotsford Convent Foundation was established in 2004 as a not-for-profit entity. As cultural custodian of the site, ACF manages the precinct on behalf of the people, with a focus on arts, culture and learning.
Tours run every Saturday and Sunday from 2pm.