The Hangman’s Tour of the Old Melbourne Gaol
- Stacey
- Oct 6
- 2 min read
Departing from the Old Melbourne Gaol watchtower, our group is ushered into the dim cellblock by a gruff ‘hangman’. Locked in a cell, we huddle as stories of grim justice echo through the bluestone halls. This is the Hangman’s Night Tour – an adults-only, immersive journey through the darkest corners of Victoria’s colonial penal system.
Built in the 1840s and expanded in the wake of the 1851 gold rush, the Gaol soon became overcrowded. It housed criminals ranging from vagrants to murderers, including notorious bushranger Ned Kelly. The grim facilities once imprisoned women and children alongside men until a separate wing for female inmates opened in 1864.
The Gaol was the site of 135 executions, beginning with Aboriginal resistance fighters Tunnerminnerwait and Maulboyheenner in 1842. Despite legal defence from Redmond Barry (who would later sentence Kelly to death), they were publicly hanged in a failed effort to deter further Indigenous resistance. Later executions included that of Frederick Deeming, a killer speculated to be Jack the Ripper, and Elizabeth Scott – the first woman executed in Victoria, whose voice some still claim to hear within the Gaol’s walls.
Ned Kelly’s 1880 hanging remains the Gaol’s most infamous moment. His death sparked riots, a police inquiry, and decades of mystery surrounding his remains. His supposed skull was stolen in 1978, and although bones were reburied at Pentridge Prison in 1929, Kelly’s head has never been conclusively identified.
In the 20th century, the Gaol served briefly as a military lockup during WWII, even housing German sea captain Theodor Detmers and American soldier Eddie Leonski, the “Brownout Strangler.” It later became the City Watch House, detaining Melbourne’s underworld figures until its closure in 1994.
Reopened as a museum in 1972, the Gaol today draws visitors with tales of torture, isolation cells, and alleged hauntings. Cell 17, in particular, is a hotspot for paranormal activity. Visitors report breathlessness, cold touches, and a sensation of being watched. Some are driven to flee in tears, convinced something in the cell wants them gone – or worse, wants them to stay.
The tour ends at the gallows where Kelly met his fate. We stare at the lever that ended so many lives. Visitors often report ghostly apparitions – shadow figures, rattling chains, and even the spirit of a long-gone prison guard. Whether these are tricks of the mind or real encounters, the Gaol’s chilling presence is undeniable.
As the heavy door creaks shut behind us and the night air hits, we’re grateful for the city’s lights – but some of us can’t shake the feeling that something from those cold stone walls is watching still.
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