The old gaol is now
open to the public
It remains much the same as it was when it closed and a few extras have been added including a gallows exhibit recreating the 1863 hanging of Jomes Murphy, a brutal criminal who battered Constable Daniel O'Boyle to death at the Warrnambool Court House. He was the first of many executed at the gaol.
Other exhibits include a fully re-appointed cell typical of the day, two 'Loss of Priveleged' cells, and cell 47, where a prisoner painted a 'Window of Freedom' on the wall.
You can visit the 'Watchtower', see the cells and parade ground, the doctor's surgery, the tailor shop, and the recreation room with its murals.
The gaol is an imposing and sombre building of solid bluestone which was a parctical and lasting construction medium of the time. The steep steps to the watchtower and the impressive street facade are of particular note.
The small, unheated and unsewered cells where prisoners were incarcerated for up to 14 hours at a time, the solitary confinement cells and excercise cages are a grim reminder of the Victorian era and the illustrate the change in attitude to penal detention over the past two decades.
The gaol is now operated by the Rotary Club of Geelong as a Community Project and is open to the public on Saturdays, Sundays and daily during public and school holidays from 1pm to 4pm.
Guided Tours and souvenirs are available. Enquiries Ph: 03 5221 8292.
