Fannie Bay Gaol operated as Darwin's main prison from 1883 until 1979. The complex has survived cyclones, Japanese bombing raids in World War II, and Cyclone Tracy, and now serves as an open-air museum on the edge of the Fannie Bay foreshore.
The buildings are largely intact: cell blocks, solitary confinement, the gallows where the last public executions in the Northern Territory were carried out in 1952. The site does not shy away from its history. Guided tours walk through the conditions prisoners endured, the role of the gaol during the war, and the stories of those who were incarcerated and executed here.
Entry is free. The surrounding parkland is pleasant for a walk, and the East Point Reserve and Fannie Bay beach are just minutes away.