Old Melbourne Gaol facts for kids
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| Location | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
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| Coordinates | 37°48′29″S 144°57′55″E / 37.80806°S 144.96528°E |
| Status | Museum |
| Opened | 1 January 1845 |
| Closed | July 1924 |
| Managed by | National Trust of Australia |
| Official name | Old Melbourne Gaol |
| Type | State Registered Place |
| Designated | 20 August 1982 |
| Reference no. | H1553 |
| Heritage Overlay number | HO789 |
The Old Melbourne Gaol is a famous old jail in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Today, it's a museum where you can learn about its past. This historic building is made of a dark stone called bluestone. It stands next to old police and court buildings on Russell Street.
The gaol first opened in 1845 and was a working prison until 1924. Many well-known Australian figures were held here. These included the famous bushranger Ned Kelly and a man named Frederick Bailey Deeming. Over its history, 133 people were executed at the gaol.
After closing, parts of the gaol became part of RMIT University. The rest was turned into a museum. The museum shows off items and stories from the prisoners and staff. You can even see special masks made of the faces of some executed people.
Contents
History of the Old Melbourne Gaol
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The story of the Old Melbourne Gaol began in 1838. A man named George Wintle became the first jailer. People even called the site "Wintle's Hotel" back then. Construction started in 1839 on a different street, but that first jail was too small.
So, a new, bigger gaol was built between 1841 and 1844. It was located where it stands today, near the Supreme Court. The first cell block opened in 1845. However, it wasn't long before the prison became too crowded.
Building a Bigger Prison
When gold was discovered in Victoria in 1851, many people moved to the area. This led to more crime, and the gaol needed to expand. A new section was built from 1852 to 1854. This part used strong bluestone instead of sandstone. Its design was inspired by a famous prison in London.
More additions were made over the years. A new wing for male prisoners was built, and then a separate cell block for female prisoners was added between 1862 and 1864. Before this, men and women were not kept apart. By 1864, the entire prison was finished. It was a large and important building in Melbourne.
At its biggest, the prison covered a whole city block. It had exercise yards, a hospital, a chapel, and homes for the staff. Even the jailers and their families lived within the gaol walls for a time.
Life Inside the Gaol
Life inside the Old Melbourne Gaol was very strict. It held many different types of prisoners. These included people who committed small crimes and some of the most serious criminals. The gaol also housed children, sometimes as young as three years old. They might have been there for minor offenses or simply because their parents were imprisoned. Babies under one year old could stay with their mothers.
Prisoners who committed serious crimes started their time in solitary confinement. This meant they were kept alone in their cells for 23 hours a day. They were not allowed to talk to other prisoners. To enforce this, they wore a special cloth hood, called a calico hood, when outside their cells. They had only one hour of exercise each day.
The daily routine was controlled by bells. Good behavior could lead to better conditions. Prisoners who followed the rules might move to the second floor. There, they could work in the yards every day. Men often did hard labor, like breaking rocks. Women would sew, clean, or cook. Trusted prisoners or those nearing the end of their sentences lived on the third floor. These larger cells held up to six prisoners. They were often for people who committed less serious crimes.
Executions at the Gaol
The Old Melbourne Gaol was the site of 133 executions by hanging. The most famous was that of Ned Kelly in 1880. After being executed, prisoners were usually buried in unmarked graves within the gaol grounds. Sometimes, a special mask was made of their face before burial.
The gallows, where the hangings took place, moved to different spots over time. Eventually, a permanent gallows was installed inside the prison. It is still there today as part of the museum. The first woman to be executed in Victoria, Elizabeth Scott, was hanged here in 1863. The last person executed at the gaol was Angus Murray in 1924, the same year it closed.
Closing and Reopening the Gaol
In 1870, officials decided the gaol should close. Over the next few decades, parts of the prison were torn down. In 1924, the Old Melbourne Gaol officially closed its doors as a prison.
However, in 1927, the gaol became part of the new Emily McPherson College. It was used for educational purposes. During this time, the remains of some executed prisoners, including Ned Kelly, were moved from the gaol's burial yard. They were reburied in mass graves at another prison called Pentridge.
Some of the bluestone grave markers from the gaol were even used to build a sea wall in Brighton in the 1930s. One of these markers, belonging to Martha Needle, was later found buried in the sand.
During World War II, the gaol was briefly used again as a military prison. After the war, the prison section became a storage area for the Victoria Police. In 1979, the Emily McPherson College merged with RMIT University. This meant RMIT took over parts of the old gaol, including its entrance gates. Today, some of these old gaol buildings are used as art studios by RMIT.
The Museum Today
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In 1957, the National Trust of Australia recognized the Old Melbourne Gaol as an important historical site. They wanted to make sure it was saved. In 1965, people suggested turning it into a museum for tourists. Finally, in 1972, the gaol reopened as a public museum. The National Trust of Australia manages it.
Today, the Old Melbourne Gaol is Victoria's oldest surviving prison building. It welcomes about 140,000 visitors every year. The cells are filled with information about the prisoners and staff, telling the story of Melbourne's past.
The museum also displays many interesting items. These include death masks, an iron mask, and special leather gloves. You can see Ned Kelly's death mask, his pistol, and a copy of his famous armor suit.
The museum offers special tours and experiences. The "Hangman's Night Tour" is led by actors. The "Watch House Experience" lets visitors pretend to be prisoners, showing what it was like back then. In 2010, the Old Melbourne Gaol won an award for its "Crime and Justice Experience."
The Mystery of Ned Kelly's Skull
For many years, a skull believed to be Ned Kelly's was on display at the museum. But it was stolen in 1978. Scientists and the government tried to find it and figure out if it was truly Kelly's. It was thought that some bones and teeth might have been taken as souvenirs when graves were moved in 1929.
In 2009, a farmer gave a skull to authorities, saying it was the one stolen from the gaol. Tests confirmed it was the same skull that had been displayed. However, DNA testing in 2011 showed it was not Ned Kelly's after all. It might have belonged to another executed person named Ernest Knox, who also had the initials "E.K."
Later, Ned Kelly's actual remains were found at Pentridge Prison. DNA tests confirmed they belonged to him. A piece of his skull even showed marks, suggesting his brain had been removed for study after his death.
Old Melbourne Gaol in Films
The Old Melbourne Gaol has been used as a filming location for several movies and TV shows about Ned Kelly. These include Ned Kelly (1970), Trial of Ned Kelly (1977), The Last Outlaw (1980), Besieged: The Ned Kelly Story (2004), Ned's Head (2011), and True History of the Kelly Gang (2019). Scenes showing Kelly's hanging were filmed either at the actual execution site or nearby within the gaol.
