Geelong Gaol Museum

01/06/2026

At Old Dubbo Gaol, bathing was part of the punishment. New prisoners were stripped, bathed, issued uniforms, and subjected to strict prison routines. Male inmates used an outdoor shower and toilet block in the exercise yard, exposed to the harsh western NSW climate. With cold water, little privacy, and constant supervision, bathing reinforced discipline, control, and the realities of colonial imprisonment.

01/06/2026

Gundagai Gaol once held prisoners from across the rugged colonial frontier, including drunkards, cattle thieves, and violent offenders. The small stone gaol is also linked to notorious bushranger Captain Moonlite, who was briefly imprisoned there after the 1879 Wantabadgery siege before being transferred to Darlinghurst Gaol for ex*****on.

29/05/2026

Executions at Old Dubbo Gaol reveal the harsh face of colonial justice. Between 1877 and 1904, eight men were hanged within the gaol walls, while many other death sentences were commuted. Seven of the ex*****ons were carried out by notorious hangman Robert Rice Howard, known as “Nosey Bob.” The surviving gallows remain a chilling reminder of frontier punishment. *****on

29/05/2026

🥂✨ VELVET & VICE – PROHIBITION BALL ✨🥂

Step behind the bluestone walls of the historic Old Geelong Gaol and into a world of hidden bars, live jazz, flowing cocktails, and roaring twenties glamour.

On Saturday 18th July, the gaol transforms into an underground speakeasy where decadence and dishonour collide. From Geelong’s hardworking colonial past to the dazzling excess of the Great Gatsby era, guests will indulge in premium local wines, spirits, craft beer, roaming canapés, and unforgettable entertainment.

Beneath towering cell blocks once occupied by Victoria’s most notorious criminals, flickering lights, jazz melodies, and whispered secrets create a night unlike any other.

🍸 Hidden Cocktail Bars
🎷 Live Jazz Entertainment
🍴 Roaming Canapés
🍷 Premium Regional Wine, Beer & Spirits
✨ Immersive Historic Atmosphere

Dress Code: Glamour, Gangsters & Gatsby Elegance

📅 Saturday 18th July
📍 National Crime & Justice Museum at the Old Geelong Gaol
🎟 Limited tickets available
BOOK NOW
Call 1300 865 800 or Geelong Gaol – National Crime & Justice Museum, Victoria

Will you embrace the glamour… or the vice?

29/05/2026

Built in 1819, Hyde Park Barracks housed hundreds of male convicts under harsh colonial discipline. Prisoners slept crowded together in hammocks, endured poor sanitation, hard labour, strict routines, and brutal punishment. Disease and discomfort were constant realities. Despite the harsh conditions, the barracks provided shelter and control in the rapidly growing convict colony of early Sydney.

24/05/2026

Morgues and “dead houses” were once grim but essential parts of Australian gaols. Prisoners often died from disease, violence, ex*****on, and harsh conditions inside overcrowded colonial prisons. At gaols like Old Melbourne, Pentridge, and the Old Geelong Gaol, bodies were taken from the gallows to prison morgues before burial. Darlinghurst Gaol still holds one of Australia’s finest surviving prison morgues.

23/05/2026

Rising above the walls of Old Dubbo Gaol, the guard towers stood as symbols of fear and control in colonial Australia. From these elevated lookout points, armed warders watched prisoners day and night, ready to stop riots or daring escape attempts. Connected by perimeter catwalks, the towers reminded inmates they were never beyond the watchful eyes of the gaol.

07/05/2026

Uncovering Tasmania’s forgotten Gaol.

Archaeologists in a central Tasmanian town have uncovered the footings of colonial-era solitary cells and gallows from the former Oatlands Gaol, which was buried under an old council swimming pool. The former penitentiary, decommissioned in the 1930s, was once a major correctional facility in Van Di...

06/05/2026

Looking for something to do on a Wednesday night. Join a ghost tour at the old Geelong Gaol and explore the unknown.

02/05/2026

DARE TO STEP INSIDE… IF YOU CAN.

When the clock strikes 8PM, the gates of the Old Geelong Gaol creak open… and the past doesn’t stay buried.

Walk the darkened cell blocks.
Hear the stories they never told.
Feel the chill where prisoners once waited… and some say still linger.

This is not just history.
This is something else.

🕯 8PM Ghost Tours — Nightly
📍 Old Geelong Gaol
📞 1300 865 800

👉 Book now… or wait your turn in the dark.

DATE TO BE SCARED.