HM Prison Geelong facts for kids
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| Location | Geelong, Victoria |
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| Coordinates | 38°9′14″S 144°21′56″E / 38.15389°S 144.36556°E |
| Status | Closed |
| Security class | Maximum (male) |
| Capacity | 86 |
| Opened | 1864 |
| Closed | 1991 |
| Managed by | Corrections Victoria |
HM Prison Geelong was a maximum security Australia prison located on the corner of Myers Street and Swanston Street in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The prison was built in stages from 1849 to 1864. Its panopticon design is based on Pentonville Prison in England. The prison was officially closed in 1991 and prisoners were moved to the newly built HM Prison Barwon in Lara. The building now functions as a museum for the history of the prison.
History
The gaol was built by prisoners who slept on high security barges on Corio Bay during construction. The three-storey central block is cruciform with east and west wings serving as cells, the north wing as an administration block, and the southern wing as a kitchen, hospital and a tailoring workshop. The Australian Army used the prison as a detention barracks during, and for a few years after, World War II.
The government closed the gaol in 1991 and the site now operates as a museum. It is open to the public on Saturdays, Sundays and daily during public and school holidays. The gaol remains mostly unchanged. Cell 47 is of special interest as it contains a mural painted on a wall by a prisoner, titled Window of Freedom.
The Gaol is now referred to as the "Old Geelong Gaol". Some believe the gaol may be haunted and several paranormal research groups have visited the site.
