Geelong Gaol in Geelong, Victoria, Australia | Gaol

Welcome to the Geelong Gaol, Australia. Some say you can hear the rattle of iron manacles in the ghostly Old Geelong Gaol. Built in 1853, the giant bluestone edifice has housed some of Victoria's toughest and most notorious criminals. In the early days, many felons were hanged on the Gaol's gallows. Today, visitors can tour the former high-security Gaol that was still in use until July 1991. The Geelong Gaol was based on the design of the Pentonville Gaol in the United Kingdom and constructed of basalt (locally known as bluestone). Convicts were used to do the work and they were housed in hulks moored in Corio Bay. The Rotary Club of Geelong operates the Gaol as a tourist attraction. Visitors can stroll the eerie, cold Gaol corridors, experience the primitive conditions prisoners faced and see solitary confinement cells where stale bread and water were on the menu. The Gaol gallows were first used in 1863 and a display depicts this macabre event. James Murphy was hanged for beating a policeman to death with a hammer.