By noon, just one patient was left in the Canberra Hospital's old emergency department. And they were about to move out, too.
They were the last of more than 2 million patients health officials estimate had been treated in that department.
The long-awaited expansion of the hospital officially opened on Saturday, with the difficult and precise task of moving patients, staff and equipment into the new clinical services building.
The waiting room in the old emergency department appeared in a way it almost never did. It was completely empty.
Rebecca Brown, ACT trauma coordinator, said it was super weird to be in the old emergency department after the move.
"I feel it's a bit like moving house. When you're leaving a house that's kind of old and kind of ugly, but you loved it and you had great memories here," she said.
"[I'm] super excited about all the facilities in the new building. Super excited about how we can care for patients. But I've been here working in this building for 15 years. I met my husband here ... excited, but just a little bit bittersweet."
A team of 60 removalists carted crates from the old part of the hospital to the new. Doctors and nurses were on hand to wheel patients across, too.
The decision to go ahead with the move from emergency was made at 5am. A barbecue served up more 961 bacon and egg rolls to staff working on the move.
Canberra Health Services chief executive Dave Peffer said the new emergency department was activated about 7.30am and by 11.30am 30 patients had already been treated "and that's all worked remarkably".
"In some respects, it feels like the end of something, but it's also the beginning of something," he said.
Six emergency surgeries had already been completed and health officials expected more into Saturday afternoon.
Canberra Health Services announced at 4.38pm the move was complete, with more than 100 patients moved into the new building.
"This is the first major step in a 20-year rebuild of this campus to refresh and update all of our facilities. The facility behind me is the first all-electric hospital in the country. It's a wonderful advancement in terms of the environment that people have to work in and the experience that our patients should have as well," Mr Peffer said in the new main reception area.
Mr Peffer said Canberra Health Services was now considering how best to use the old emergency department.
