Old Melbourne Gaol, 19th-century prison complex in Melbourne, Australia
The Old Melbourne Gaol is a bluestone prison complex on Russell Street, built around a courtyard and adjoining the old City Police Watch House and City Courts. Its main block rises three storeys, with tall narrow arched windows and a gabled roofline; a lower stone wing extends to the right. The three-storey museum displays prisoners' and staff memorabilia, including death masks of executed criminals.
Construction of the gaol began in 1839 on Collins Street West, but the site proved too small; a second gaol was built between 1841 and 1844 at Russell and La Trobe Streets, and its first cell block opened in 1845. A bluestone wing based on Joshua Jebb's Pentonville design was added between 1852 and 1854, followed by a north wing in 1860 and a female cell block in 1862–1864. The prison operated until 1924, and 133 people were hanged there.
The site displays personal items and records of inmates, showing how justice and society changed during the 1800s. These objects tell the stories of people who lived here and make their experiences real for visitors.
Visitors can explore the site in different ways, including daytime tours and special evening experiences. It helps to wear comfortable shoes, as you walk a lot and move over uneven stone floors.
Ned Kelly was hanged here on 11 November 1880, aged 25, after a two-day trial for killing a police officer. Executed prisoners were buried in unmarked graves in the gaol burial yard, and a death mask was made from each head before burial as part of phrenological study. After 1864 the fixed gallows stood below the octagon, against the wall dividing the male and female blocks.
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