IF SOMEONE offered you a tour that involved a lot of bars, you’d probably jump at the chance, right?
This isn’t that kind of tour
Melbourne’s infamous and heritage listed Pentridge Prison will unlock its gates next month to new fully immersive tour experiences.
Guests will learn all the jail’s secrets which, like the inmates, have been closely guarded since it opened in 1851.
First-hand accounts from prisoners and warders will provide an authentic backdrop to a building that once housed some of Australia’s most notorious criminals.
Within the original cells of B Division, visitors will go back to Pentridge’s stockade origins and journey from pre-colonial times through to the prison’s forced closure in 1997.
H Division, known by the inmates as Hell Division’ is the dark heart of Pentridge. This tour for more mature audiences of the high-security unit will be the most confronting experience for those wanting to engage with the truly secretive aspects of the prison’s history.
For too long, these stories have been shrouded in mystery and although the past is confronting, it is crucial that we do not forget the realities of those who were incarcerated, and we respectfully learn and share their truths, said Simon Ambrose, CEO National Trust Victoria.
Tickets will be on sale from February 23 with the tours officially launching on March 1.
PENTRIDGE PRISON, NATIONAL TRUST
