HM Prison Pentridge, Defunct correctional facility in Coburg, Victoria, Australia.
HM Prison Pentridge is a defunct correctional facility made of bluestone in Coburg, roughly 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) north of central Melbourne. The sprawling site includes multiple cell blocks, watchtowers and high perimeter walls that expanded over the decades.
The prison opened in 1851 and served as Victoria's principal correctional center until it closed in 1997. Within its walls sat notorious inmates, including bushranger Ned Kelly, who was held there before his execution.
The name Pentridge comes from a village in England and the facility held the country's most dangerous offenders for over a century. Executions took place within its walls and the remains of those put to death were buried on the grounds, including Ronald Ryan, the last person executed in Australia in 1967.
The northern part of the former prison site is being redeveloped into a residential and commercial district while heritage buildings are retained. Some areas remain closed to the public, so it is worth checking which sections can be visited before arriving.
Archaeological digs uncovered three rare panopticon structures from the 1850s near A and B Divisions in 2014. These circular surveillance buildings were long thought lost and show an early form of prison design rarely found in Australia today.
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