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| Operated and maintained by the Rotary Club of Geelong Inc | |||||
| Open to the public each Saturday and Sunday 1pm to 4pm | |||||
| Closed Christmas, Boxing day, New Year's day and Good Friday | |||||
| Special arrangements can be made for large tourist groups and functions. Phone (03) 5221 8292 business hours | |||||
| The gaol is a sad reflection of the Victorian era. It was closed because the facilities are nothing short of appaling. Today's enlightened society would not tolerate the continuance of such inhumane housing of human beings, regardless of their crimes against society. The preservation of the building will please visitors and serve as a reminder that these facilities were in use only a few years ago. |
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The Old Geelong Gaol, formerly a high security prison, remains much the same as when it ceased operation in July 1991.
The gaol was designed in the style of Pentonville prison in the UK. (Prisoners in Pentonville Prison were referred to as "Pentonvillians", the origin of the word "villains".) The basalt (locally known as bluestone) walls and masonary together with the finely laid brickwork are among the best examples of the artisans' craft in the region. It was built to replace prison hulks moored in Stingray Bay (between Eastern Beach and Point Henry) and an old log-walled prison in South Geelong. Here prisoners lived in absolute squalor. |