Description of the attraction
The Old Melbourne Prison is a museum housed in a former prison on Russell Street in Melbourne. The museum's exhibits include death masks and memorabilia of some notable criminals, including the infamous Ned Kelly. This "forest hunter" in 1880 was found guilty of murdering a police officer, executed and buried in the prison. Throughout the history of the prison, 135 people were executed in it. Today the museum is visited by about 140 thousand tourists annually.
The construction of the prison began in 1839 and was finally completed only 23 years later. The project involved many innovations to improve prison control, building ventilation and steam heating, but not all of the plans were implemented. In 1924, the prison was closed, and part of the building was even dismantled. During the Second World War, war criminals were placed here, and later the building was used as a warehouse. It wasn't until 1972 that the former prison was turned into a museum.
They say that the ghosts of prisoners roam the corridors of the prison at night, and local parapsychologists even managed to record the voice of a woman calling for help!
In 1957, the Old Melbourne Prison building was declared a National Treasure. Today it is considered the oldest prison facility in Victoria.
