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MAITLAND GAOL TO CLOSE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Maitland City Council has announced the immediate closure of Maitland Gaol following an independent safety review of the site including the fire and electrical systems.

The Gaol, which is managed by Council on behalf of the NSW Government, will be closed until further notice while an assessment of required repair work and associated costs takes place. All tours and planned events have been cancelled and refunds will be provided.

Maitland Council is working with businesses and community groups who use Gaol facilities and will assist where possible in finding alternate arrangements.

General Manager Jeff Smith says ‘this decision has not been taken lightly but the safety of Council staff, visitors and the Maitland community is of the utmost importance.’

‘As a 170 year old heritage site, Maitland Gaol has always required ongoing specialist maintenance but it has now become clear that the safety issues pose a risk to staff and visitors leaving me no choice but to close the site,’ Mr Smith says.

Maitland Council will provide regular public updates about the status of repair work and ongoing communication with community stakeholders.

For more information regarding event cancellation or obtaining refunds for booked tours, please contact [email protected]

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER GREAT ATTRACTIONS IN MAITLAND, PLEASE VISIT MYMAITLAND.COM.AU

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Maitland Gaol

Maitland, New South Wales, Australia

Maitland Gaol was Australia’s longest continuously operating prison and now operates as a museum and tourist attraction.

Antara Bate

24 nov 2020.

About Maitland Gaol

Maitland Gaol in New South Wales was Australia’s longest continuously operating prison before being closed and reinvented as a museum and tourist attraction.

First opened in 1848, Maitland was finally shut in 1998 as part of a general upgrade to Australia’s prison system.

Maitland Gaol history

For almost 150 years Maitland Gaol kept some of Australia’s most infamous criminals contained behind its towering sandstone walls and razor wire fencing.

The award-winning tourist attraction is one of around a dozen historic gaols and similar sites that are now open to the public across Australia, providing an insight into the country’s prison system, as well as many other aspects of early life in the colony.

Maitland Gaol was built in the mid-1800s using sandstone sourced from the local area including Morpeth and Farley. Positioned prominently on top of a hill in East Maitland, the foundation stone was laid in 1844, with the first prisoners incarcerated in the multi-building complex in December 1848.

The gaol was built over several stages between 1844 and 1900, with much of the masonry work carried out by prisoners. Some additions and alterations were undertaken in the late 1960s and ’70s yet the closure of the gaol was announced in 1996 as part of an upgrade to the state’s prison system.

Maitland Gaol closed as a maximum-security prison on January 29, 1998, with the honour of being Australia’s oldest structure in continuous use as a gaol. Thirteen months later Maitland City Council was awarded a 50-year lease for the site, with plans to adaptively reuse the Gaol as a museum. The Gaol was also added to the State Heritage Register in 1999.

Over the years since being reopened as a tourist attraction, a number of guided tours have been developed at the Gaol.

The Gaol was also the site of numerous daring escapes, with almost 40 attempts made throughout its history, although most of them failed. The last recorded escape plot, on May 17, 1997, was thwarted before it even began.

Guided tours led by ex-warders and ex-inmates are among the Gaols’ most popular offerings, providing a unique perspective into life behind bars with stories that are not for the faint-hearted.

Maitland Gaol is rumoured to be the most haunted site in the Hunter, making its regular ghost tours another popular activity for those curious about the paranormal.

Maitland Gaol today

Thousands of visitors from all over the world visit the convict-built structure every year to explore the stories of what life was like behind its grim stone walls. Today, visitors to Maitland Gaol can learn about its vibrant history, which spanned more than 150 years.

Maitland Gaol doesn’t contain signage with information for our visitors to read, instead, a self-guided audio tour is available, along with a number of guided tour options. Each tour has a route to follow and visitors are provided with a map of the site.

Getting to Maitland Gaol

Maitland Gaol is located at 6-18 John Street in East Maitland. Visitors can take the train to Maitland Gol, East Maitland Train station is located 100m away from the entrance of Maitland Gaol.

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Maitland Gaol: What To Know Before Your Visit to This Former Maximum Security Prison – CURRENTLY CLOSED

Home > Museums & Galleries > Maitland Gaol: What To Know Before Your Visit to This Former Maximum Security Prison – CURRENTLY CLOSED

For an experience your family won’t forget, take your kids on a tour of Maitland Gaol in East Maitland, New South Wales.

20 MARCH 2024 UPDATE: Following an independent safety review of the Maitland Gaol site including the fire and electrical systems, Maitland City Council has made the decision to CLOSE THE SITE until further notice.

This tourist attraction isn’t for the faint-hearted but it’s an opportunity to immerse yourself in local history and learn more about Maitland Gaol, a heritage-listed former prison.

As you approach Maitland Gaol, you’ll notice its large imposing sandstone structure, high walls and barbed and razor wire. It’s an introduction to the penal conditions you’ll find inside.

Opened in 1848, Maitland Gaol has a vibrant history operating as a correctional facility spanning more than 150 years including a maximum security prison. The heritage-listed site is preserved as exactly as it was upon its closure in 1998.

Visit Maitland Gaol and you can experience what life was like for inmates serving time. Unlike other museums, there are no interpretative signs for visitors to read.

Instead, you’ll need to take a tour, either a guided tour or a self-guided audio tour to learn about the buildings you’re walking through. The lack of signage definitely makes the facility feel less like a museum and more authentic. It feels like inmates might return at any moment.

In terms of the atmosphere, Maitland Gaol delivers. You definitely get a sense of what life was like for the inmates. The high walls, razor and barbed wire and watch tower add to the prison feel.

If you opt for a guided tour, choose the 150 Years Under Lock and Key or the Escapes tour. These are suitable for family groups. Some of the other tours contain content not suitable for kids.

If you choose to do the self-guided tour, you’ll need to bring your own device and headphones. Download the Maitland Gaol App available in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and choose from one of the tour tracks to listen to while walking around the gaol.

The audio track for kids is Snitch’s Gaol Exploration . The narrator is a ghost rat who arrived with the first inmates in 1848. Snitch with the help of his friends shares secrets and stories of Maitland Gaol. Just be ready for Snitch’s accent and his jailhouse slang.

Each of the audio tracks corresponds to a different area of the gaol and there are coloured decals on the buildings which indicate which track to listen to. Snitch’s Gaol Exploration is aimed at primary school-aged children but parents can listen to it too. If a kids track isn’t for you, choose the Maitland Gaol Revealed audio track instead while you tour the facility.

The tour takes you throughout the site and is full of interesting information and anecdotes, moderated for kids.

The different buildings at Maitland Gaol each have their own story. A Wing was the first wing to be built at Maitland Gaol and housed men downstairs and women and their kids upstairs. It’s a bleak spot. It’s also where condemned men spent their final days before execution by hanging.

Explore the Chapel. With its stained-glass windows, it provides a respite from the jail conditions, much like it did for the inmates each Sunday.

In the shower block, you’ll learn how seven inmates escaped through a red exhaust vent in September 1977.

Looking at this narrow space, you’ll marvel how the “’Magnificent Seven” as they were dubbed managed to squeeze through. Although they managed to break out of Maitland Gaol, they were all recaptured within two hours.

To really experience life in gaol, walk through the cell blocks and go into a cell and close the door. Each prison block has at least one cell that you can wander through.

Seeing the confined space, small bed and thin mattress, open toilet reveals the conditions that inmates had to endure. The graffiti and drawings on the wall add to the experience.

The absence of light in these buildings are especially noticeable. We visited on a bright sunny day yet when we toured through some of the buildings and walked into cells, it was dark and dreary with little natural light.

In terms of the inmates, there were some that definitely deserved to be incarcerated. Venture through C Wing which was originally opened in 1897 for female prisoners and their children.

It was used in its final five years from 1993 to 1998 to house some of NSW’s worst offenders whose crimes made them unsafe to be with the other inmates.

The newest building at Maitland Gaol is 5-Wing, It was built in 1993 and was designed to be a high security area for inmates who had committed the most heinous crimes or serious crimes against other inmates. This is where backpacker murderer Ivan Milat was imprisoned.

In contrast, there were other inmates whose crimes seem minor especially some of the early female inmates whose crimes include petty theft, public drunkenness or keeping a disorderly house (running a brothel).

Maitland Gaol is a fascinating walk through penal history but you’ll appreciate the taste of freedom as you leave!

Good to Know

Website: Maitland Gaol

Suitability: We would recommend this for older primary school-aged kids and teens. Snitch’s Gaol Exploration self-directed tour at Maitland Gaol is aimed for primary school-aged kids. We would recommend kids 8+ listen to this tour.

If your kids are sensitive or prone to nightmares, maybe skip visiting Maitland Gaol. If you’re not sure if the content of Snitch’s Gaol Exploration is appropriate for your kids, you can listen to it beforehand by downloading the app and tour track.

Cost: It costs from $19 for adults and $13 for kids aged 5 and over for a self-guided audio tour. For a guided tour, adults are from $30 and kids aged 5 and over are $24.

Tours: Choose from guided tours or self-directed tours. Allow 60 – 90 minutes for the audio tours. If you want to leave the kids at home and experience a more harrowing tour, choose a night tour. There are a few to choose from including the Psychic Experience tour, Crimes of Passion Night Tour or a Ghost Hunting Tour.

If you visit during school holidays, sign the kids up for kids activity. There are different sessions each holiday with fun activities to explain the history of Maitland Gaol.

Opening Hours: Maitland Gaol is open 7 days a week. Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm and 10am to 4pm on Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays.

Getting There: Maitland Gaol is located at 6 – 18 John Street in East Maitland. For a fun excursion, catch the train to Maitland Gaol. East Maitland Train Station is located 100m to the entrance of Maitland Gaol.

Cafe: Bread and Water Cafe is located in the former Warden’s Cafeteria and is the region’s first 100% gluten free cafe.

Additional Activities: You can book a session of laser tag at Maitland Gaol with Battlezone Playlive Laser Tag. Want to escape from Maitland Gaol. Get Out Escape Rooms have launched their first escape game, Jail Breakout! Situated in cells of the notorious 5 wing, you can take part in a thrilling and realistic live game experience.

Disclosure: Newy with Kids received free admission to Maitland Gaol for review purposes. However, all opinions are our own.

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Maitland Gaol

Maitland Gaol is Australia's longest continuously operating correctional facility (1844-1998) and is now one of the Hunter Region's most recognised and awarded heritage and cultural tourism attractions.

Developed over the last few years, the facility now caters for tourists looking for a unique and unusual day or night activity.

A world-class self-guided audio tour will take you on a 150 year history of the Gaol. Narrated by award-winning actor, Chris Haywood, the tour is illustrated by many actual comments and observations by former in-mates, officers, other staff, assistants and researchers.

Three very different themed public guided tours are available. Experience the personal accounts of an Ex-Inmate tour, learn the facts and stories of Maitland Gaol on a History tour or pursue the supernatural on a Psychic tour. The Ex-Inmate tours are offered regularly as both day and torchlight, prebooked and prepaid public activities while the Psychic tour is offered regularly as a torchlight activity. History tours are occasionally available as a public tour but generally offered as a private educational activity. An Officers themed guided tour will soon be available.

The site is also used extensively for functions, events and community activities.

Recently conserved and restored, the Auditorium has been developed as an educational and interpretive centre which also includes an extensive museum and exhibition space. This space displays smaller and more delicate items from the Maitland Gaol Collection and hosts special themed exhibitions of Maitland Gaol artefacts and travelling exhibitions. It is also used for lectures and educational purposes.

Spreading over 2.5 hectares, the site is a facility exhibiting 150 years of correctional institution social history. A look at life on the inside!

The Maitland Gaol Collection is primarily the 30+ buildings, facilities, furniture and fittings, associated with the 150 years of this correctional institution. The area is gradually being developed, in conjunction with an extensive interpretation plan, into a site museum spreading throughout the major buildings and facilities.

However, a major project has recently been established in conjunction with the new Education and Interpretive Centre together with the Research and Reading Room, to obtain, catalogue and display, items which tell more of the story of Maitland Gaol, its people and its buildings. Donations and extended loans of artefacts, such as documents, artworks, uniforms and clothing, books and records have been sort and acquired and are now being added to the larger items associated with the fabric of the site to create a much more complete story regarding the history and sociology of prison life throughout the 150 year operation of Maitland Gaol.

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Visit Maitland Gaol: Ivan Milat was here

Razor wire lies coiled on top of the thick high sandstone walls. Taking a deep breath, I pull into the carpark of Maitland Gaol. This maximum-security jail, closed since 1998, once housed some of New South Wales’ most hardened criminals. Even as a visitor to the heritage site, I feel intimidated.

Touring Maitland Gaol

Built on a hill overlooking East Maitland, Maitland Gaol opened in 1848 and was a major employer in the region. Today it’s a prime tourist attraction.

Armed with the self-guided audio tour on my phone and a warning not to touch the sharp razor wire and to beware of the heavy doors, I step into the jail.

As the last visitor for the day, I’m alone and am immediately struck by the stark environment. Bare concrete and sandstone surround me. High perimeter walls restrict the view to that of the blue sky.  

The Visitor Area

The audio tour begins innocuously enough in the visitor’s area. Groups of cream plastic chairs bolted to the floor are arranged around small circular tables. To one side cheerful cartoon characters painted on the wall designate a narrow play area.

Then the audio describes the tensions of visiting time and a heavy feeling descends on me as I comprehend the reality of life for some people. Prisoners after being strip searched and dressed in white overalls had to remain seated while visitors were subject to metal detectors and sniffer dogs.

And woe betide the child who needed the toilet. Leaving the area for any reason meant the end of the visit.

“The Toughest Jail in the State”

An inmate from 1961 describes Maitland Gaol as “the toughest jail in the state at that time”. Walking through the now quiet and uninhabited work area, cell blocks, chapel, shower block and muster area, that statement bears out.

Cells are small and dark. I enter one, imagining sitting on a narrow bed as the heavy metal door slams shut and the bolt jolts into place. 

Alone, my Heart Beats Faster

Between stops, I become disoriented and turn around with more than a little anxiety hoping someone can see me on a screen somewhere. I really don’t want to stay here for the night.

The loud rhythmic noise of a helicopter breaks the silence. As it flies overhead, I recall the helicopter escape from Silverwater Jail many years ago. 

Stories from Maitland Gaol

During the tour, ex-prisoners, prison guards and case workers describe their experiences bringing home the reality of life in Maitland Gaol. One guard describes his work day as “hours of boredom punctuated by sheer terror” when “something went down”.

Another describes the “brutal environment” saying that one thing a prisoner has “is time”. Time was often used to figure out how to bring in contraband. The story about home brew and a fire extinguisher makes me chuckle.

On hearing the name Ivan Milat, I shiver. The serial murderer spent time here, and possibly walked past right where I am standing. 

Two pigeons have made the shower block their home. These latest inmates are harmless, unlike the so-called “heavies” who commanded respect from prison guards and fellow prisoners alike.  

Little left to the Imagination

A visit to Maitland Gaol leaves little of life in a maximum-security jail to the imagination. As I step out of the prison gate, I take a deep breath and look up at the vast blue sky. It is so good to be free. 

Useful Information

• Located at 6 – 18 John St East Maitland, Maitland Gaol is open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm
• It is best to pre-book. Book online here .
• Tip: take a battery pack as the audio guide can drain your phone
• For more on visiting Maitland, read this post .

Reading this post and looking at your pictures definitely makes me appreciate my freedom, however I’m not sorry for serial murderers to be incarcerated. Thanks for your posts, they are always a good read.

Thanks Bernadette, I’m glad you enjoy the read.

Enjoyed reading your visit here Joanne. My friends and I were discussing a jail we passed by in a taxi just the other day in Brisbane. Our fasinating conversation with the driver went on to include Maitland jail, and here I am reading your article. A small world.

Interesting what a small world it often is, Kerrie.

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TOWER TOURS: Maitland Gaol to unlock hidden history

by Newcastle Live 14 November 2023, 9:03 am

Visitors to Maitland Gaol will soon be able to walk along the metal catwalks once used by guards to keep the inmates in check.

The newly launched Tower Tour promises to give people a fresh perspective on the former maximum-security prison.

It’s the first time in 175 years that the catwalks will be open to the public.

“There’s so much history and heritage at Maitland Gaol we’re confident the Tower Tour will attract both new and returning visitors,” Maitland Gaol’s Heritage Interpretation Specialist, Zoe Whiting said.

The unique experience will see visitors ascending a spiral staircase ingeniously constructed inside the Gaol’s imposing sandstone walls before arriving on the catwalks.

It’s an experience that will give people an unparalleled view of the prison and its surroundings like never before. Visitors will be able to check out key landmarks around the area like the railway station and the former courthouse in East Maitland.

During the tour, a guide will delve into the operational aspects of the towers, their use during crises, and the working conditions faced by the staff who occupied them.

“As you move along the catwalk, your guide will explore how the towers were operated as a security measure when they were used in a crisis and the working conditions for staff that occupied them,” Zoe said.

“We want to identify changes in how the towers were used and examine the impact of the towers on staff and prisoners.”

Tower Tours will begin running at Maitland Gaol from Thursday 7 December 2023. To find out more visit maitlandgaol.com.au .

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The cell doors have now been swung open, with visitors invited to 'serve time' learning about the facility, past prisoners and daring escapes.

A key anchor attraction of the Hunter, Maitland Gaol has a vibrant history spanning more than 150 years. After housing some of Australia's most hardened and notorious criminals, Maitland Gaol closed as a Correctional Institution in 1998.

Open 7 days, Maitland Gaol offers visitors the opportunity to indulge in a world class self- guided audio tour. Additionally, themed- guided tours and torchlight tours by night are regularly available and are a great way to interpret this unique attraction. Only the brave can battle a group sleepover night.

Maitland Gaol's foundation stone was laid in 1844 with the official opening and reception of the first prisoners occuring in 1848. Built of sandstone from Morpeth and Farley, it is considered to be the most intact country gaol in New South Wales and is the longest continuously operating correctional institution in Australia. After holding some of Australia's most hardened criminals, Maitland Gaol closed on the 30th January 1998. Inmates were transferred to other prisons with the final transfer at noon that day. The last buildings were completed on the site in 1993.

The closure of the complex was announced in 1996 as part of an upgrade to the state's prison system. It closed because security did not meet community expectations, conditions were considered unsuitable and the cost of operating the antiquated facility was excessive.

16 men were executed at Maitland Gaol between 1843 and 1897 - all for rape or murder. Executions were open to the public until 1861. The last man executed was Charles Hines in May 1897 for raping his stepdaughter. Hangings are believed to have taken place at the main gates and the back corner of the Gaol.

There were many escape attempts but most failed. Everyone who did get over the walls was caught within days. In 1977 "Maddog" Raymond Denning and 6 others escaped through an exhaust vent in the shower block. They were all back inside within 2 hours after a massive police swoop on the area. In 1980, a 5.5m long tunnel was discovered in Cell 7 in C Wing. It was hidden with a sheet of plastic painted the same colour as the floor. The tunnel was filled in with 2 truckloads of concrete.

In 1978, a 23- year- old inmate protested for 16 hours by sitting on top of the Gaol's Administration building. At one stage he disappeared over the roof returning with food. Armed with a softwood stake he waved to the Maitland Mercury and television journalists. In 1975 inmates rioted, setting fire to the maintenance block. They used a swag of home made weapons to attack the warders, protesting about the prison system and the Gaol's conditions. The infamous Darcy Dugan was blamed for inciting the riot, while 78 of the rioting inmates were transferred to other prisons.

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Maitland Gaol (Jail)

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• Your Hunter Valley Magazine
• Dec 14, 2023

150 Years Under Lock and Key Guided Night Tour

Maitland Gaol

THURSDAY 21 DECEMBER - SUNDAY 28 JANUARY

Enjoy a 90-minute tour of Maitland Gaol as you discover a range of stories of prisoners and their treatment. Immerse yourself in the history of Australia's oldest continually operating correctional facility. Although a family-friendly tour, children must be accompanied by a supervising adult. For more info or to book tickets, visit www.maitlandgaol.com.au

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Maitland Gaol

**Maitland Gaol closed until further notice

Maitland City Council has announced the immediate closure of Maitland Gaol following an independent safety review of the site including the fire and electrical systems**

A former maximum security prison which housed some of Australia’s most notorious criminals including the infamous escape artist, Darcy Dugan, the Anita Cobby killers and serial backpacker murderer, Ivan Milat, Maitland Gaol has a vibrant history spanning more than 150 years.

The gates have been unlocked for you to discover the history and stories of incarceration. Visitors are invited to ‘serve time’ learning about the facility, past prisoners and daring escapes.

Enjoy a self guided audio tour at your leisure or jump on one of their guided tours like the Escapes Guided Tour or Ex Warden Tour to hear stories of escapes, from the unbelievable to the outright ludicrous. Or if you’re brave enough their Ghost Hunting Tours will certainly get the hairs on the back of your neck standing up as you hear about past inmates who now haunt the cell blocks!

Walking around the gaol, you won’t be disappointed as the history consumes you. Inside cell blocks the atmosphere of heavy door, after heavy door, cell after cell, each scrawl of graffiti, dent in the door and bullet hole in the wall has its own story to tell.

Since its closure in 1998 as an operational correctional facility, the Gaol has made an impressive transformation into one of the Hunter region’s iconic tourist attractions and a must add to your travel bucket list.

• 6-18 John Street East Maitland New South Wales
• View in Google Maps
• 02 4936 6482
• info@maitlandgaol.com.au
• from $ from $

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A new perspective of an old site a step closer, as DA approved for Gaol tower alterations

Future visitors to Maitland Gaol can expect to climb up and tour the site’s historic ramparts, after a development application for alterations to one of the walls and two of the guard towers was approved at last night’s Council meeting.

The alterations and additions to the site will open up access to two of the Gaol’s existing towers, enabling pedestrian tours along the gantry walkways, and affording visitors a new and exciting perspective on one of New South Wales’ premier heritage listed sites.

The existing timber spiral staircases will be retained, sealed and lit, enabling tour participants to catch a glimpse of the Gaol’s original fixtures.

Maitland Gaol Heritage Interpretation Specialist Zoe Whiting says the new offering, known as The Tower Experience, will 'eventually operate both day and night tours, so that visitors to Maitland Gaol can experience how it would have been for officers on the walls through all hours of the day.’

‘Being able to access the towers and walkways will afford visitors an exciting new perspective on this former maximum security prison,’ Ms Whiting said.

‘The experience will be interpreted in a range of ways, to tell the unique story of the towers from the officer's perspective for the very first time.

This visitor experience in the Maitland Gaol redevelopment is proudly support from the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, through the 2020-21 Experience Enhancement Fund.

Development consent now opens the pathway to apply for final heritage approvals of the works.

This project is in addition to more than $11.6 million worth of works toward realising elements of the Maitland Gaol Development Plan, funded by over $10 million in shared State and Federal funding announced in January this year.

More information on the Maitland Gaol Development Plan can be found at www.maitlandgaol.com.au .

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Curate Your Own Adventure

Maitland gaol.

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Rebecca Lush

This morning I journeyed out to Maitland Gaol for a self-guided audio tour experience. The Gaol is approximately one hour from Newcastle by train and very easy to access without a car. There are a few tour options available so definitely check their website before you visit. The only option I had available today was the self-guided audio tour that you can download to your device before your visit. You can take either the Maitland Gaol Revealed or Escaping Maitland Gaol tour (a kid’s tour is also available). Because I had the time, and really wanted to explore the Gaol, I selected Maitland Gaol Revealed. This is a 1.5 hour tour that guides you through all the main areas. The benefit of this app is you can re-read/listen to any sections post-visit. Before reviewing the experience, here is a brief history of the Gaol.

History of Maitland Gaol

Maitland Gaol officially opened in December, 1848. However, building the Gaol started as early as 1846 with a foundation stone laid in 1844. You will see in photographs that the sandstone used to construct the Goal is that quintessential convict-era sandstone. This was quarried by convicts at Morpeth – an area near the Gaol. The first structures to be built were the southeast wing, gate, and enclosing wall. Towards the end of the 1880s, the warders’ quarters, watch towers, and building containing the chapel were added. Extensions continued to be built to support the growing number of inmates. In 1972, Maitland Gaol became a maximum-security prison.

Fast forward to the early 1990s when modern prison cells were built including 5-wing – a high-security cell block for those who had committed especially serious crimes. Eventually the Gaol closed in January 1998. Today, it serves as a heritage-listed tourism site.

The Gaol was inscribed on the New South Wales State Heritage Registrar on 2 April 1999. Mainly because it’s the oldest substantially intact country gaol in New South Wales. It is also Australia’s oldest structure to be continuously used as a gaol and the last surviving example of the ‘Inspectors’ Gaols’ or those designed by the Colonial Architect in New South Wales.

Maitland Gaol Revealed

I strongly suggest taking the Maitland Gaol Revealed tour if you are wanting an in-depth experience. It is filled with firsthand accounts from both ex-inmates and wardens. I do think there is room to develop this tour to include more diverse voices. Each stop is well-timed and well-sign posted meaning I wasn’t getting lost or standing in the same place for too long. Overall, I really enjoyed the tour and exploring the Gaol. It was great being able to bring your own device and headphones (but both are available to purchase onsite if you need to). Here are my highlights from the tour:

The fifth stop on the tour is 5-wing. This is one of the most notorious cell blocks in the entire Gaol as it housed some of the worst criminals. It looks quite new as it only opened five years prior to the Gaol closing. Inmates weren’t allowed any personal belongings or contact with other inmates while in this wing.

After hearing a bit more about 5-wing, the next block you explore is C-wing. This was originally built in the mid-1880s to house female inmates. It is a building separate from the rest. When female inmates were no longer sent to Maitland (1950s onwards) it housed high-risk criminals and those with access to the outside (through visiting family and friends). Strangely enough, this block was used as a makeshift maternity hospital in 1949 when the main hospital’s maternity wing closed due to flooding.

3: The Kitchen

The reason why I’m including the kitchen in this list is because of its surrounding gardens. There are a few panels that explain what was grown in the garden to feed inmates. For example, one area grew lettuce and beans from 1900 – 1955 to provide fresh vegetables. There are a couple of amazing lemon trees planted outside the kitchen too. I am a food-orientated person so it’s always interesting to learn about anything relating to food.

Construction on B-wing started in 1867 making this the second oldest wing at the Gaol. It is three storeys high and long-term inmates were housed on the top level.

5: The Hospital

No surprises here – the hospital was another highlight of the tour. All inmates passed through the hospital before heading to their cell. As well as blood and urine tests, inmates underwent psychological evaluation. There is a little display here of some historical medical supplies.

6: The Chapel

The Chapel was a highlight for me as you can clearly see the great preservation work happening. The stained glass windows overlook the entire chapel and there are a few murals on display that were uncovered in 2007. I really enjoyed listening to the audio guide in this area. There was a great story about a chaplain who gave lamingtons to inmates attending his service. Lamingtons were classed as contraband so this had to stop and attendance dropped.

Opening in 1848, this is the oldest wing in the Gaol. The audio guide shares some LGBTIQA+ history via stories about those who identified as homosexual or transsexual. Going back to what I said before, it would be worth including the voice of someone from the LGBTIQA+ community. It is also the wing that held inmates sentenced to execution. The room where all these inmates spent their final days is at the back of the wing.

There are 25 sites in total to explore. A few have additional stories you can listen to during your visit.

Logistical Information

As mentioned before, you can either drive or take public transport from Newcastle. There is some fantastic information on accessibility here: https://www.maitlandgaol.com.au/visit/visitor-services/accessibility/ . The Gaol is open weekdays from 9am to 4pm and weekends from 10am to 4pm. You can find all the information on tours and tickets here: https://www.maitlandgaol.com.au/visit/ .

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Welcome to Curate Your Own Adventure. I started this blog back in 2015 when I discovered I was accepted into the Master of Museum & Heritage Studies program at The University of Sydney. At first, I wrote about my studies. Now, I use my blog to review museums and heritage places around the world. Happy reading!

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