Walking Tour | The Women of the Abbotsford Convent: The Women Behind the Gates

This is the story of the Abbotsford Convent, told through the women who lived it.

Behind these familiar gates are stories most people never hear. Women and girls whose daily lives were shaped by this place, and whose work, obedience, friendships, and resilience helped keep it running.

On this two-hour walk, you’ll move through the grounds where girls woke before dawn to work in the laundries, where silence and routine were used as discipline, and where care often came with control. You’ll learn how young women were separated from their families, how unpaid labour supported the institution, and how faith shaped everyday life inside the Convent.

But this is not only a story of harm. You’ll also encounter quieter, human moments. Friendships formed under watchful eyes. Moments of dignity found in difficult conditions. Girls supporting one another within a system far bigger than themselves.

Distance: 1km, in 2 hours. Very relaxed pace

This tour is a powerful 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.

Experience life behind the convent gates

Whether you’re visiting for the first time or the twelfth, this tour offers a deeper way of understanding the Abbotsford Convent and the women who shaped it. Their stories open onto a wider history of care, control, and social welfare, and the forces that shaped Melbourne and Australia.