Ever since I moved to Melbourne I 've wanted to visit the Old Melbourne Gaol. One of Melbourne 's oldest architectural buildings right at the heart of Melbourne 's CBD, situated on Russell Street, only minutes walk from the train station and one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions.
Our experience at the Old Gaol started by getting arrested at the 1990s City Watch House. The Watch House Experience lasted for approximately forty minutes, one of the most interactive and engaging experiences I 've had in a museum. We had a female Charge Sergeant as a guide, who made the visitors experience so real. We were "arrested" and encounter what it was like to be locked up at the City Watch House. It could be quite confronting, nevertheless necessary to understand what was happening. On the way out, my fellow convicts an I queued in line for souvenir mugshot photos.
The construction of the Gaol began in 1839 and opened its doors to convicts 6 years later (1845), but by 1850 it was already
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Since 1972 the cell block has been run as a museum by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria). The general entry ticket for the Old Melbourne Gaol includes the Watch House Experience which is run regularly. The tours are held every half hour or so and groups are limited to 60 people. For an additional $5 per person on top of your general entry ticket, you can take an escorted tour by one of the guides to help understand a bit more about the Old Melbourne Gaol’s grim past.
The Old Melbourne Gaol is the site of 135 hanging executions and is listed as one of the most haunted spots in Australia. Women were hanged there as well – starting with Elizabeth Scott on 11th November 1863, the first woman to be hanged in Victoria. For any paranormal enthusiasts out there, be sure to try the gaol hosts after-dark ghost tours that you might be lucky enough to see a ghost or two. Myself, I get too creeped out on something like this so I wouldn 't try it, as much as it tempts me a little