Info
Gaol Road, Thebarton
8231 4062 Website
Entry Type: Paid
Category: History & Museums
Last Update: 23-09-2018
Rating:
Overview
Experience what life was like behind bars for the prisoners who once called the Adelaide Gaol their home.
Open for business from 1841 to 1988, the Gaol was one of Australia’s longest continuously operational prison facilities.
Over those gruelling 147 years, the Gaol housed some of the state’s most notorious and dangerous criminals. Almost 300,000 prisoners whiled away some time at His (or Her) Majesty’s pleasure, and 45 unfortunates were executed within its walls – including the only woman to be executed in South Australia.
Step back in time and walk the hallways and cells of South Australia’s first inmates. Experience what daily life in prison was really like. Wander along, lost in your own imagination and visit our interactive exhibition. If you’re really lucky, you may catch a glimpse of one of our ghostly residents.
There are plenty of things to see at the Adelaide Gaol besides getting a unique glimpse of nearly 150 years of South Australian prison life.
*There is an interactive exhibition with artefacts that were once used during the Gaol’s operational life. Try on handcuffs and leg irons and get a feel for what it was like to wear them. Have a go at unpicking the locks and discover just how hard it was for prisoners to escape!
*Marvel at the magnificent 19th century architecture of the Gaol’s outer walls, its two towers and the New Building and gallows, where 21 prisoners were hanged between 1894 and 1950.
*Visit the prisoner graves within the grounds of the Gaol.
*Check out the archaeological dig by the South Australian Museum in the grounds of the gaol. The dig revealed that the Gaol site was once a temporary site for the earliest white settlement of Adelaide. The dig uncovered finds reflecting the changing nature of prisoners’ activities at the Gaol, their personal life and hidden secrets.
You can read all about the history of Adelaide Gaol on the Adelaide Gaol website.
Facilities
Cafe
Toilets
Baby changing facilities
Wheelchair Access
Parking
Opening Times
10am – 4pm – 7 days a week
Last entry for self-guided tours is at 3.00pm
Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day
Price
Adult – $14.50
Child – $9.00 (15 years and under)
Concession – $12.50
Family (2 adults and 2 children OR 1 adult and 3 children) – $35.50
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