The Channel Island Leprosarium was a quarantine station that operated as a colony for people suffering from
leprosy
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...
in the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
of Australia from 1931 to 1955.
Channel Island
The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...
forms part of
Middle Arm, located just south of
Darwin.
History
The Channel Island Leprosarium was opened in 1931 replacing the Mud Island Lazaret. Sisters from the
Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart took over the health service in 1947. An increase in leprosy cases in the 1950s led to overcrowding and the facility was closed in 1955. It was replaced by The East Arm Leprosarium on the mainland.
Patients were compulsorily isolated, were often treated poorly and were cut off from their families.
The site was heritage listed in February 1997. Many buildings have fallen into disrepair, and there are some foundations, collapsed huts and wall structures that remain. The bodies of at least 60 patients are buried on site.
References
{{reflist
Leper hospitals
Buildings and structures in Darwin, Northern Territory
Defunct hospitals in Australia