Old Melbourne Gaol is the oldest Victoria's prison. In the prison where hanged 135 people, including infamous bushranger Ned Kelly. We can take a tour anytime and it is not guided. It will take approximately one hour. The building of Melbourne Gaol began in 1841 on a block of scrubland fronting a dirt track that became Russell Street. Before the first cell block opened in 1845, prisoners were kept in a series of inadequate lock-ups from which escapes were frequent. By 1850, the new Gaol was already over crowded. In 1851, the Port Phillip District became the new Colony of Victoria. The discovery of gold that same year stimulated a massive infux of population, making it hard to maintain law and order. A second cell block was begun at the gaol in 1852 and completed in 1858. This cell block remains today. The gaol continued to expand and once covered an entire city block; it included exercise yards, hospitals, a chapel, a bath house and accommodation for staff. The Melbourne Gaol closed in 1924. It briefly reopened during WWI to house military detainees, mainly soldiers who were found to be Absent without Leave. From 1972, the cell block has been open as a museum managed by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria).
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