Bowral and District Hospital is a community hospital is servicing the Southern Highlands region in New South Wales, Australia. The hospital is centrally located in the town of Bowral and is the only hospital operated outside the Sydney metropolitan area by the South Western Sydney Local Health District. Services Within the main building - the Milton Park Wing, Bowral and District Hospital provides a 24-hour emergency department with 10 beds. A further 8 beds are allocated to a high dependency unit for patients with conditions that require continuous monitoring. The hospital has maintained a paediatric ward since 1935 and the current facility provides 8 beds supported by two full-time paediatricians. The hospital's Obstetrics Department is centred on maternity ward providing 2 birthing rooms and 5 post-natal beds. 36 general medical and surgical beds occupy the remainder of the building. The Cardiac Assessment Unit was established in 1985, providing rehabilitation and outpatient services for patients with heart conditions is located in a separate annex of the property known as the Watson Unit. This facility also provides a range of clinics and outpatient services. Bowral Mental Health Service The Bowral Mental Health Service provides an adolescent mental health facility at the hospital. This service caters for 12- to 17-year-old patients who experience mental health issues, offering assessment, counseling and support for clients. The hospital also acts as an after hours point of contact for mental health concerns for all ages and is able to coordinate care through a number of support programs offered by the service. Additionally the hospital has two dedicated beds for patients admitted for mental health reasons, and is regularly attended by visiting psychiatrists who are able to provide clinical consultations. History In the absence of a hospital between Sydney and Goulburn, community leaders identified the need to establish a local facility and the search began for an appropriate site in 1886. In March 1888 of land was purchased using funds raised from within the community. Construction of the building designed by architect H.C. Kent began the following January, opening on 4 September 1889 as the Berrima District Cottage Hospital. The first major expansion to the hospital was an operating theatre opened in 1898. The hospital was significantly upgraded in 1911, expanding the two bedroom nurses quarters which had been added in 1902 and increasing the capacity of the women's ward to 8 beds. As part of these works,