The Australian Women's Register

Hindmarsh Women’s Community Health Centre was the first Women’s Health Centre in South Australia. The Women’s Liberation Movement recognised the need for a separate women’s health centre from the number of health related calls and personal enquires. Funding was granted in 1974 and 6 Mary St Hindmarsh was officially open in 1976. Because funding was through the state the feminist way of running the centre and the bureaucracy and its requirements often clashed. This was further complicated by the feminist groups involved in the centre. The Centre was run by a feminist collective. The Rape Crisis Centre evolved from the Health Centre. The Health Centre became a teaching centre for women’s health. The Centre produced pamphlets on both general and gynaecological health. The conflict with the Health Department eventually lead to the withdrawal of funding. With the intervention of the Women’s Adviser to the Premier the continuing need for a Women’s Health Centre was argued and the centre was moved to North Adelaide and became Women’s Health Statewide. Hindmarsh Women’s Health Centre continued with the Medicare payments to support other work of the centre. The Centre then became known as the Welling Place, providing alternative health including a vegetable patch for the community. 6 Mary St was demolished in 1989 for the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.