HM Prison Geelong is a 19th century maximum security Prison which operated from 1853-1991. The Prison is located on the corner of Myers Street and Swanston Street in the City of Greater Geelong.
The Prison was built in stages by the prisoners themselves and based primarily on a similar design of to that of Pentonville Prison in England where each inmate had their own cell, 13 feet (4 m) long, 7 feet (2 m) wide and 9 feet (3 m) high with little windows on the outside walls and a bucket for a toilet.
Whilst under construction, the Prisoners had to sleep on high security barges on Corio Bay. Prisoners were forbidden to speak to each other, and were punished if caught.
Cells 38 and 55 were holdings cells for prisoners sentenced to death.’’
The First hangings in Geelong were public affairs and were said to have attracted a crowd of locals. They were held on the north side of Myers St, roughly where the Geelong Hospital’s helipad is today. The “drop”, is still in existence, complete with the lever used to open the trapdoors.
The central block is cruciform with east and west wings serving as cells, the north wing for administration and the south wing a kitchen, hospital and workshop.
The gaol was the backdrop for 6 executions, one of these Thomas Menard being buried within the confines of the prison.
1854 John Gunn and George Roberts [Murder of Samuel Harris and attempted murder of George Kelly]
1856 James Ross [Murder of Elizabeth Sayer and his infant son]
1858 Owen McQueeney [Murder of Elizabeth Lowe] James Murphy was the last person to be hanged at the Gaol.
1863 James Murphy [Murder Constable Daniel O’Boyle
and of course
1865 Thomas Menard {Murder of James Sweeney]
After its closure in 1991, the well kept Gaol now operates as a museum to maintain its vast historical value for generations to come. The Gaol remains mostly in its original condition, ghosts and all. And cell 47 is of special interest, as it is the only cell that contains a mural painted on a wall by a prisoner, titled “Window of Freedom”.
But it wasn’t always a prison:
- 1853–1865 Gaol for convicts and prisoners
- 1865–1872 Industrial school for girls (street kids)
- 1877–1940 Hospital gaol
- 1940–1947 Army detention barracks during World War II
- 1947–1958 Hospital gaol
- 1958–1991 Training prison
Geelong Gaol has been the place of incarceration for thousands of men, women and children throughout its history. The youngest prisoner on record was aged just 2 years old in the 1860s.
There was believed to have been a tunnel dug by the prisoners, connecting the prison with the Supreme Court building just to the west on Myers St, but to date there has been no evidence to prove or disprove this theory.
There also was a theory that there was a cellar under the jail that was used to house difficult prisoners, but if one exists, there is no longer any way of accessing it.
The Gaol is now referred to as “Old Geelong Gaol” with all current prisoners now residing at HM Prison Barwon in Lara.
In 1995, the Rotary Club of Geelong took over the management of the site, and opened the gaol as a museum, showcasing the history of colonial crime and punishment, along with the experience of the conditions of an 1850’s colonial prison.
Open to the public on weekends, school holidays and public holidays 12-5pm.
202 Myers Street, Geelong, Victoria., 3220
