When the Old Melbourne Gaol was built in the mid-1800s, it dominated the Melbourne skyline as a symbol of authority. Inside the Gaol, dangerous criminals were held alongside petty offenders, the homeless and the mentally ill.
Between 1842 and its closure in 1929 the gaol was the scene of 133 hangings including Australia’s most infamous citizen, the bushranger Ned Kelly. Today you can visit the Old Melbourne Gaol to find out what life was like for the men and women who lived and died here all those years ago.
Visit: Old Melbourne Gaol, 377 Russell St, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Australia
The Old Melbourne Gaol is Melbourne’s home of crime since 1845 and the city’s most feared destination. A place of more than 130 executions — including infamous bushranger’s Ned Kelly — visitors can learn about the site’s rich criminal history, experience what it was like for the men and women held there, and discover the stories that never left.
