Old Melbourne Gaol

Old Melbourne Gaol is one of the most important and atmospheric historic sites in Australia, operating from 1845 to 1929 and housing 135 executions during that time, including that of the bushranger Ned Kelly in 1880. The bluestone building is now a museum that tells the stories of the prisoners held here, from petty thieves to murderers, and contextualises their crimes and sentences within the brutal realities of colonial-era justice.

The collection includes death masks of executed prisoners — including Kelly's — along with personal effects, documentation, and the cells themselves, which can be entered. Night tours are offered regularly and are genuinely effective in the right surroundings. The gaol sits on Russell Street in the heart of the CBD, close to the State Library and within easy walking distance of the Queen Victoria Market. Allow at least an hour for a thorough visit; longer if you attend a guided tour.

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A story
Ned Kelly was hanged at Old Melbourne Gaol on 11 November 1880. His last recorded words were "Such is life." Kelly's armour — the homemade iron suit he wore at the Glenrowan siege — is now on display at the State Library of Victoria, but his death mask is at the gaol. The original scaffold from which he was hanged was identified and is preserved. Kelly's body was buried in the gaol grounds, moved several times over the decades, and finally identified by DNA testing in 2011 before being reburied at Greta cemetery in his home country.

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