Old Melbourne Gaol

Families have been loving Billie B Brown and the Case of the Missing Treasure, so we’re excited to bring it back to Old Melbourne Gaol these school holidays.

Armed with an activity map, kids become detectives and follow a trail of clues left by the Secret Mystery Club to help them find missing treasure!🗝️

🗓 27 June until 12 July, 10am-5pm
📍 Old Melbourne Gaol, 377 Russell Street, Melbourne
📚 Billie B Brown books available in the gift shop!
🎟️ Tickets via link in bio.

Are you a National Trust member? You’ll get free entry to Old Melbourne Gaol and the Billie B Brown activity is included.

Not yet a member? If you’re planning a couple of visits to National Trust properties these holidays — or want to keep exploring all year — a Household Membership is $120 for up to two adults and four kids is great value! Join online with code SCHOOLHOLS26 and we’ll waive the $40 joining fee.

Developed by ’s Education Team in partnership with , the experience is based on the celebrated Billie B Brown series by Australian Children’s Laureate and illustrated by .art

Imagine your evening beginning with an arrest by Sergeant Henderson.

Before guests enjoy food, drinks and conversation inside Old Melbourne Gaol, they can be arrested, processed, fingerprinted and locked up in the former City Watch House as part of an immersive experience that brings Melbourne’s history to life.

Whether you’re planning a corporate event, celebration or private function, Old Melbourne Gaol offers a venue experience unlike any other in the heart of Melbourne.

With exceptional catering by Curtis Stone Events and a setting steeped in history, your next event is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Enquire now at [email protected] or call 03 9656 9889.

The mystery of Ned Kelly’s skull revisited 💀

When the National Trust opened the Old Melbourne Gaol as a penal museum in 1972, the skull believed to belong to Ned Kelly was displayed as a prized exhibit.

In 1978, the skull was stolen from the Gaol and wasn’t recovered until 2009. A DNA check of a tooth from the skull later proved that it did not belong to Kelly.

Kelly’s skeleton, identified amongst those disinterred at Pentridge in 2008, included a piece of his skull. Evidence from this fragment revealed that Kelly’s head was not cut off, as has been regularly claimed since 1880.

While we now know the skull is not Ned Kelly’s, we are still no closer to identifying who it does belong to.

Visit Old Melbourne Gaol to discover more about Ned Kelly’s final days, see his death mask and a replica of his armour. Open seven days, 10am–5pm.

You can also join the Ned Kelly’s Last Stand guided tour on weekends.

A night where history, theatre and exceptional dining collide.

Step inside the walls of Melbourne’s most iconic setting for The Last Meal — an immersive dining experience curated by Curtis Stone Events.

From Death Row Fried Chicken and freshly shucked oysters with caviar to slow-braised lamb and indulgent dark chocolate ganache, every course has been designed to tell a story and leave a lasting impression.

If it’s to be your last, let it be your finest.

Get your tickets via the link below:

https://shorturl.at/NTkkd

As daylight fades, the gaol becomes dark and atmospheric. The Hangman’s Night Tour delves into the macabre accounts and haunted history associated with the Gaol.

If you’re looking for a night out with a difference, this is it!

🗓️ Friday 5 & 12 June, 8pm-9pm | Saturday 20 June, 6.30pm-7.30pm & 8pm-9pm
📍 Old Melbourne Gaol, CBD
🎟️ Tickets via https://www.oldmelbournegaol.com.au/event/hangmans-night-tour/

If this cellblock could talk, what stories would it tell?

Operating from 1845 to 1924, Old Melbourne Gaol held more than 50,000 people within its walls; from petty offenders to some of Victoria’s most infamous prisoners.

Today, the stories of the Gaol are brought to life through guided tours and the self-guided audio tour, revealing a confronting history of crime, punishment and daily life behind bars.

Open daily from 10am–5pm, with selected evening Night Tours also available.

Plan your visit via the link in bio.

Many 18th and 19th century doctors and scientists believed that it was possible to understand the psychological makeup of people by the shape of their skull.

Pioneering criminologists believed that there were physical clues to understanding criminal behaviour.
They took plaster casts of the heads of executed prisoners to study their brains and skulls.

Known as phrenology, this theory was invented by Austrian physiologist Franz Joseph Gall. The skull was mapped into 35 sections and each was associated with a behaviour. For example, the area above the ears was meant to indicate ‘Destructiveness’ and they noted that violent people had prominent bones in this area.

Phrenology gained wide acceptance in the late 19th century, with the making of death masks becoming standard practice.

The brains of hundreds of criminals were examined after death, as well as those of many eminent people. Eventually the results showed that most criminals had similar sized brains to other citizens.

See death masks from prisoners such as Frederick Bailey Deeming who caused a sensation in Melbourne in April 1892 and he became Victoria’s most notorious
19th century criminal after Ned Kelly. Some seriously considered him to be Jack the Ripper.

And Ned Kelly, also shown here.

Learn more on a tour or visit to Old Melbourne Gaol.