The Victorian State Government purchased the Burwood site in December 1960. 
On July 1st 1961, the Allambie Reception Centre opened to relieve capacity issues at Turana, with accommodation for 90 children in four separate sections.

As part of the Children’s Home Section of the Social Welfare Branch’s Family Welfare Division, Allambie was established under the Children’s Welfare Act 1958. The Act recommended that the Family Welfare Division (FWD) of the Social Welfare Department establish a range of accommodation services for children who could not be fostered out or find placement within existing voluntary establishments. Allambie became the Department’s main ‘reception, treatment, classification and transit centre’.

Initially, the centre accommodated up to 90 children who were housed following a breakdown in home release, foster care or children’s home placement. At the time, an average of 10 children were received each week at the centre.
On average, children stayed between two and three months.  Kurrajong Cottage opened with the arrival of the first group of children (originally built to accommodate 25 children, but as numbers in Allambie rose dramatically in the 1970’s Kurrajong had to stretch to house up to 55 children).
‘Many alterations of, and extensions to, existing buildings have been required to render them really adequate for use as a children’s reception centre.’

• Social Welfare Department – Annual Report, Year ended June 30, 1962, 1963. p13.
• Victorian Government gazette, no. 56, July 12 1961, p. 2411