Highgate Park

Highgate Park at Fullarton was established by philanthropist Julia Farr under a charitable trust in 1879.

First called the Home for Incurables, it was then renamed the Julia Farr Centre and then Highgate Park.

The nine-storey building was built in the 1970s on a 2.85ha site in Fisher Street, Fullarton.

Throughout its 141-year history, the trust has supported people with disability, specifically those who have been unable to live independently without support.

No new residents have moved into Highgate Park since it was earmarked for closure in 2014.

In line with a commitment to relocate people with disability out of institutions, all remaining residents have been supported into community accommodation. The last resident moved out in April 2020.

The future of Highgate Park

Following a thorough independent consultation with the disability sector on the future of the Highgate Park site, Renewal SA will be engaged to sell the site with any proceeds retained by the trust to benefit people living with disability.

More than 360 people were involved in the consultation, including people with lived experience of disability from metropolitan Adelaide and regional South Australia, Aboriginal people living with disability, and subject matter experts working in the disability sector.

The final report of the consultation is available in PDF format:

HFI Trust Beneficiary Consultation Final Recommendations and Project Report (PDF 1.1 MB)

To request a plain text version of the report, please email julie.oliver@sa.gov.au

Trust working group

The future of the trust’s proceeds will also be considered to give South Australians with disability a direct say in how any sale proceeds are used.

JFA Purple Orange – the non-profit disability advocacy organisation which was formed out of Julia Farr Services – will facilitate a working group to consider the future focus of the trust and provide advice to the Minister during the sale process.

The working group will begin its efforts while the sale of the Highgate Park site is underway.

Thank you to those who have put forward expressions of interest to be involved. We will update you as soon as the group is determined.

Participants of the working group must:

• Be a person with a disability or represent people with a disability (either as a guardian, advocate or support worker) in South Australia; or
• Have an understanding of access and inclusion for people with a disability beyond the National Disability Insurance Scheme.