The Ballarat Gaol is a brooding bluestone complex south of the cathedral, built in 1862 in the era's standard radial design and used as a maximum-security men's, women's, and children's prison until 1965. After closure it was handed to the University of Ballarat (now Federation University); the campus now occupies the outer buildings, but the central exercise yards and the hanging yard remain.
Open only on special occasions (Heritage Weekend, occasional ghost tours), but the exterior is easily worth a walk past — the dressed bluestone gatehouse and front wall are among the most intact in the country.