Old Melbourne Gaol

The Old Melbourne Gaol on Russell Street was one of Melbourne's earliest public buildings and held prisoners for most of the nineteenth century. Construction began in 1839, the first cell block opened in 1845 and the complex was completed in 1864. It ceased operating as a prison in 1924, and 133 people were executed by hanging within its walls during its working life. The National Trust of Australia (Victoria) runs the site, which reopened as a public museum in 1972.

Its most famous prisoner was the bushranger Ned Kelly, who was hanged here on 11 November 1880. The gaol tells his story in detail, and death masks of executed prisoners, including Kelly's, are on display in the cell block. On selected weekend sessions, the guided tour Ned Kelly's Last Stand follows him from his capture at Glenrowan to his final moments at the gaol.

General admission covers more than the cell block. Next door, the former City Watch House hosts Life in the City Watch House, an interactive experience in which you are arrested, processed and locked up in the cells. Women and Children of the Gaol is a set of cells telling the stories of the women and children held here and is open daily. The Old Magistrates' Court can also be visited.

For something more atmospheric, the gaol runs night tours on selected evenings, with separate tickets. The Hangman's Night Tour explores the prison by lamplight with stories of crime, punishment and justice, while Ghosts! What Ghosts? concentrates on the gaol's most haunted stories.

The gaol is open from 10am to 5pm every day except Christmas Day and Good Friday. Tickets are sold online with booking fees, and there are concession, child and family tickets, plus cheaper general admission for visitors under 30; National Trust members enter free. Family tickets cover two adults and two children or one adult and two children, with extra children added at a small charge.

The address is 377 Russell Street, between Victoria and La Trobe Streets, at the northern edge of the city grid. State Library Victoria, which has its own Russell Street entrance, is close by and holds Ned Kelly's armour, so the two make a natural pairing for anyone interested in the Kelly story. Allow around two hours for general admission.