Old Melbourne Gaol: Melbourne, Australia

After our delicious breakfast at Shortstop Coffee and Doughnuts, we walked the 10 minutes up La Trobe St to the Old Melbourne Gaol. Built in the mid-1800s, the gaol was home to some of the most hardened criminals in Australian society. By the time it was finally closed in 1929 the gaol had seen 133 hangings, including the death of the notorious bushranger Ned Kelly.

When we were in San Fransisco, Matt and I had toured Alcatraz and found that the Old Melbourne Gaol had a very similar feeling with small cells and dark corridors. However, this gaol definitely felt more dreary than Alcatraz and far more unpleasant for the inmates.

The cells here were more cramped and grim than their American counterparts with windows that were intentionally designed to be too high to see out of. Additionally, inmates had a bucket for a toilet... which was only emptied once a week. With solid wood doors rather than bars, this meant the cells would have been incredibly stifling and smelly.

Another interesting difference was the fact that the gaol was home to both male and female inmates. While there were hardened criminals here, the vast majority were locked up for crimes like vagrancy, public drunkenness, and for being a public nuisance. One of the saddest stories involved a woman who had inherited her first husband's land only to have it sold off in secret by her second husband despite the fact he had no legal claim to it! This meant she was suddenly homeless and ultimately locked up for vagrancy. Pretty heartbreaking and so unfair!

There were even children locked up in the gaol as evidenced by the rations card below. Rations were incredibly meagre and life here would have been absolutely grim for anyone who found themselves locked up.

One of the other interesting facts about life in the gaol was that the inmates received wages for the work they did within the prison. This was intended to allow them to build up a bit of savings so they could leave the prison and be productive members of society rather than falling back into bad habits. While the income wasn't much, it was certainly better than nothing. Interestingly, alongside jobs in the kitchens or laundry, it was also possible for inmates to become hangmen and therefore be responsible for dispatching their fellow inmates!

The most famous individual to be hanged in the prison was of course Ned Kelly, who met his fate on November 11th, 1880. A bushranger known for his flashiness, courage and daring stye, the Kelly gang captured the Australian public's imagination. Despite his crimes, Kelly is considered by many to be an icon of the early days of the Australian national identity with a focus on independence and having a "fair go". His outfit was so distinctive that they even include a replica that you can try on as you learn about his history - here's Matt modeling the latest in 19th century criminal attire...

Overall, I'm glad we popped in for a visit! While the history isn't particularly pleasant, I think it was still useful to learn more about Ned Kelly and to see the differences between this prison and others like Alcatraz.

Details:

Website: https://www.oldmelbournegaol.com.au/

Address: 377 Russell Street, Melbourne, 3000

Hours: 9:30am - 5pm every day

Ticket Prices: Adult ($28), Concession ($23), Child ($15) with family tickets available too.