Mayday Hills Lunatic Asylum was the second such Hospital to be built in Victoria, being one of the three largest.

The asylum was surrounded by almost 106 hectares (260 acres) of farmland, making the hospital self-sufficient with its own piggery, orchards, kitchen gardens, fields, stables and barn.

For recreation, the asylum included tennis courts, an oval and cricket pavilion, kiosk and a theatre.

[4][5] La Trobe sold the facility in 2013 to a local company composed of two Beechworth businessmen, George Fendyke and Geoff Lucas.

The gardens date to the 19th century, covering 11 hectares, and are open to the public from dawn until dusk.