Old Melbourne Gaol

Halloween is here and the spook is in the air. How about a little throwback to this old, spooky museum.

The Old Melbourne Gaol is a former prison in the middle of the city of Melbourne, Australia. It is currently a heritage museum but used to be a place where they executed some of Australia’s most dangerous criminals. It is a landmark with a lot of history with hangings and deaths.

Although I like museums, this place is not the typical place I would go to, but I have to admit that it was quite an interesting visit. We spent a few hours here absorbed in its old prison system.

The museum provides information about stories of its prisoners. Some memorabilia of the prisoners and staffs are also on display here, including nooses and death masks of the executed criminals. Once I stepped in, this place just gave off eerie vibes due to its dark and depressing environment. Even with few visitors around, it was awfully quiet and I could hear my footsteps echoed around the building, making it even more creepier.

We also went for the Watch House experience for a real life encounter of what it would feel like to be arrested and locked up like inmates. When B mentioned this tour for the first time, I honestly didn’t have any clue of what it would be.

The tour started with us and bunch of other visitors greeted by a man dressed in a police uniform, carrying a set of prison keys. He ordered us to line up, made us show our hands and the bottoms of our shoes to make sure we weren’t smuggling anything, then locked us up in cells for few minutes, even turning off the lights and left us in the dark. He seemed so serious and into the character the whole time, treating us like real criminals (minus the strip search, of course). Although I knew it was all acting, it was pretty intimidating at first, especially when you didn’t read the brochure and just went in, didn’t know what to expect from this tour.