Sunset Hospital Dalkeith

Sunset Hospital was established in 1906 as the Claremont Old Men’s Home, to house destitute elderly men away from the city. Built on an elevated A‑class reserve overlooking the Swan River and Birdwood Parade Reserve in Dalkeith, it replaced the earlier Mount Eliza depot for aged care. The site was chosen for its isolation and scenic views and construction used local limestone quarried from nearby cliffs.

 

The original design followed a military-model layout, comprising three large buildings of L-shaped dormitories with inner quadrangles, a central dining hall, infirmary, laundry and staff quarters. It originally accommodated around 400 men but by the early 1930s, numbers had increased to 750 residents due to the Great Depression.

 

The institution was renamed Sunset Hospital in 1943, continuing to serve the same purpose but with improvements to its facilities. Women were admitted in 1964 for the first time.

 

Closure & Heritage Listing

After operating for nearly nine decades, the hospital closed in December 1995 and most of its buildings have remained vacant since.

 

In 1997, the site was formally added to both the State Register of Heritage Places and the Australian National Heritage List, recognised for its cultural, architectural and ecological significance

 

Cultural Precinct Vision

In 2013, the State Government unveiled a vision to transform the 8.5‑hectare site into a multipurpose arts, cultural and community hub. Funding of $275,000 for the restoration master plan was to come from selling 1,500 m² of land near the river, which was expected to raise up to $10 million.

 

An ambitious $20 million proposal from the Minderoo Foundation (2014) promised a philanthropic arts precinct with a sculpture park, adventure playground, community and arts spaces housed in heritage buildings but this was ultimately rejected.

 

In 2015, the State Government sold the former matron’s house to the Sultan of Johor for AU$8.5 million. Proceeds were used for site infrastructure upgrades: restoring utilities, converting a chapel into an events pavilion, adding landscaping and a nature playground.

 

An Expression of Interest (EOI) process in 2019 led by the Department of Culture and the Arts, sought partners to renovate and activate the precinct under the Sunset Transformation Strategy, requiring proposals to align with heritage conservation, promote arts and community use.

 

The State Government was reportedly in negotiations in 2022 with a confidential “reserve proponent”, later believed to be Be Our Guest Holdings, a company experienced in heritage hospitality projects. Meanwhile, tenants like Pictures in Motion Museum of Film and Television were asked to vacate by November 2024, signalling imminent redevelopment.