Newcastle Gaol Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Newcastle Gaol Museum |
|
|---|---|
Old Newcastle Gaol Museum
|
|
| General information | |
| Type | Prison museum |
| Location | Toodyay, Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 31°33′13″S 116°28′02″E / 31.5535°S 116.46710°E |
| Official name | Newcastle Gaol, Lock-up and Stables Group, Toodyay |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 31 May 1996 |
| Reference no. | 2558 |
The Newcastle Gaol Museum is a cool museum in Toodyay, Western Australia. It opened in 1962. This museum tells the story of a famous escape artist named Moondyne Joe. You can even see the special cell where he was held!
Contents
A Look Back: The Gaol's History
In the early days of settlement, around 1832, police and judges were based in York. Most crimes back then involved stealing farm animals.
How Police Forces Started
In 1840, Governor John Hutt created a special police group. They were called the Native Police. This group dealt with Aboriginal offenders. A different police force handled settlers. John Drummond led the Native Police. He was friends with the Noongar people. He and his Aboriginal troopers regularly patrolled the area.
Samuel Pole Phillips became a local judge. He helped the main magistrate. After some incidents, Governor Hutt ordered a large barracks and stables to be built. This was in Toodyay in 1842. It was the first government building there.
By 1854, Toodyay had several police groups. There were Mounted Police and Native Police. There were also Pensioner Guards. A new lockup, or small gaol, was built in Toodyay. It had 12 cells and a high wall.
Convicts Arrive in Western Australia
In 1851, a ship called Pyrenees arrived with convicts. Governor Charles Fitzgerald decided to set up convict depots. These were places where convicts could be hired out for work. Michael Clarkson became the boss of the Toodyay Convict Hiring Depot.
At first, convicts stayed at the Toodyay Barracks. Pensioner Guards came with them. These ex-soldiers were offered land. They also acted as a special police force. The guards in Toodyay were offered small plots of land. Later, they moved to a new depot site. This new site is where Toodyay is today. It used to be called Newcastle.
Moving the Town and Building a New Gaol
Around 1860, Toodyay faced economic problems. Also, floods kept damaging the old townsite. So, people decided to move the town. They moved to the depot site, which became Newcastle. The police moved into the stables. The police sergeant and constables got cottages. One room was even used as a courtroom.
The magistrate suggested a new gaol location. He thought it should be between the old town and the depot. This way, people who had too much to drink could be easily taken to the cells. The Queens Head was the main pub then.
Another big flood in 1862 damaged buildings. The magistrate wanted the new gaol to have a courtroom. A small lockup at the depot was made stronger. They used parts from the old Toodyay gaol. Records show this happened in 1862.
Plans for a new gaol were drawn up by Richard Roach Jewell. The chosen spot was in Clinton Street, in the new town of Newcastle.
Building the Newcastle Gaol
The plan for the Newcastle Gaol was Public Works Plan, PWD No 179. Timber from an old lockup in Bailup was used. Convicts did most of the building work. An ex-convict stonemason supervised them. He complained that the workers were not skilled. He said this made the job take longer.
Jewell's plan included a special security cell. It had timber lining and an iron bar for leg irons.
The gaol built was smaller than first planned. The magistrate did not get his courtroom. The gaol was finished in 1864. It started operating in 1865. It remained a state gaol until 1909.
In the 1930s, a family named Dorizzi lived in the building. The sons slept in the old cells. During World War II, three of the brothers died in the war. One cell is now a memorial to them. It also honors all local service members who did not come home.
After World War II, the building slowly fell apart. Then, in 1962, a big effort began to fix it up. That's when the museum started!
What You Can See Today
In 1962, the gaol was restored. The Shire of Toodyay and the W.A. Tourist Bureau helped. Grants from the National Heritage Commission also helped fix the building. The building is now protected by the National Trust.
The museum is officially recognized under the Museum Act. The Shire of Toodyay owns it. A professional museum curator manages the gaol. Volunteers also help out a lot. The displays have gotten better over the years. They now include the Moondyne Joe Gallery. There is also the "Native" Cell display. This display won an award in 2013!
The main exhibition area has changing displays. Sometimes, you can even see a courtroom scene. Other areas show items from daily life long ago. At the back, you can see old farm machines. Across the road is the restored 1891 Police Stable. There's also the 1907 Police Lock-Up. A hundred-year-old shearing shed was moved here too. You can see many old horse-drawn carts at this site.
In 1983, the museum won an award. It was from Museums Australia. The award was for the Best Educational Programme.
Police Stables: A Partner to the Gaol
The stables across from the gaol were built in 1891. They were used until 1955. This building replaced an older timber one. That one was built in 1860 but was destroyed by fire. The current building is made of stone. It has brick corners and stone window frames. The roof is made of corrugated iron. The front of the building is solid stone. It has five small, high windows.
Restoration of the stables began in the 1970s. Today, the stables are open. They are part of the Old Gaol Museum complex.
