So after weeks of saying we were going to go, a group of us finally made it Old Melbourne Gaol for the ‘Crime and Justice experience’. From what we’d heard you could have a wander around the grounds and then get ‘arrested’ to see what it was like.
After we arrived we went inside and the re-enactment had begun. I knew there was some kind of performance but I didn’t know what it was exactly. It turned out to be a woman dressed up in old fashioned attire acting out the part of Ned Kelly’s wife. Now Ned Kelly is probably the most well-known prisoner to be held at Old Melbourne Gaol. She spoke about how they met and what he was like, before moving on to how he got into his life of crime, and eventually, his prison sentence. She also spoke of how she was unjustly arrested and jailed in the women’s wing, and eventually Ned Kelly’s death. It was interesting, if not a bit tedious at times.
Once she had finished, we took some photos with her and some replica Ned Kelly amour.
Then we headed upstairs to have a look at some of the cells. As the women’s wing was demolished years ago, you can only see the men’s wing but I would guess it would be almost the same.
The cells were shockingly small. I mean when you think about how comfy modern prisons are and all of the privileges inmates have, an older prison like this one seems very shocking and almost inhumane. When you think about it in context though, it is a punishment, and perhaps if modern prisons weren’t so cushy, then maybe it would act as more of a deterrent!
Upstairs there were various displays. Some of the cells told you who used to inhabit it and what their crimes were. There was one display that caught my eye; it was about baby farming. One woman in particular was mentioned; her name was Elizabeth Downey.
I was also quite shocked when I read “A government enquiry in the 1880s reviewing the deaths of 500 small children found that more than half had appeared to have been murdered.” Even in such devastating times like those, that still seems like a ridiculous amount. It didn’t go into the details of how the children were killed but you can imagine they suffered by drowning or bludgeoning.
Another room I found really interesting was one with real hangman memorabilia. There was a model prisoner that was dressed up and ready to be hung. He was shackled and had a noose around his neck. There was also a hangman’s box next to it. In the box were several items that were used when completing a prisoner’s death sentence. There was also a sign saying that the box and all of its contents were the real equipment used by the Old Melbourne Gaol hangmen. I thought that was pretty cool, if not slightly morbid.
After we’d all finished nosing around, we met back up to take some ‘Banged Up’ snap shots!
When we felt as if we’d seen all there was to see, we headed outside and found a nice spot to hang out while we waited for the arrest experience to start.
We weren’t there very long before we thought we should go and queue. It was lucky we got there when we did too, as the line quickly extended down the street. The arrest took place next door at the sheriff’s department. Once inside we were lead through a gate and made to line up in a corridor. Men were told to stand on one side, and women on the other.
We were ordered by a guard to stand in a straight line before being asked several questions. We were asked if we had any contraband and told to place everything including bags, sunglasses, phones etc. at our feet or they would be confiscated. She made her way, with the assistance of a colleague, up the lines to ensure everyone had complied. They also ordered us to put our tongues on the roves of our mouths so they could check we weren’t hiding anything under it. She then handed out a couple of scenario sheets to a couple of the arrestees. They were asked what their names were and what their offences were. She asked them a series of questions relating to their offences whilst making notes. The complete arrest procedure was explained before we were placed in cells. There were approximately 15 people to a cell, and men and women remained separated.
The lights were turned out and we were left to sit in there for 5-10minutes. It was quite funny as people started busting jokes and getting up the torches on their phones. After she thought we’d had enough time to think about our actions, the guard let us out of our cells. We were then allowed to wander around the corridor and look at the different cell types. There were the regular cells, the drunk tanks that were built like wet rooms (for obvious reasons) and then the padded rooms for people that were deemed to be dangerous to themselves or others. The padded room was pretty cool and had special doors that allow you to open half of it to prevent the inmate inside to run at you etc.
We were then escorted around the rest of the sheriffs department and shown the outside exercise yards. There was lots of graffiti that had been scratched in the walls for various reasons. The women also had a tv outside that they could watch but couldn’t control. The nurses and guards were the only ones that could change the channel as it was built into the wall and caged. There was also a facility for children to be looked after by the staff while their mothers were sobering up or waiting to be collected my other family members.
When we’d been told about the different areas and average prisoner behaviour, we began to make our way out. After we passed through that door, there were information boards on the walls going through the years showing the prison’s construction, famous inmates etc. It was pretty interesting, and it was cool to see that one of the guys from Underbelly Razor used to be there.
Lastly we went into the final room where they had the wall and signs set up for taking mug shots. Of course we took several :p
All in all, it was a really nice day. We got to see some of Melbourne’s history and hear some cool stories along the way.
Until next time…
