The Melbourne Gaol

I was arrested last Saturday night. Yes, I was.

Me and rag tag group of tourists, including young children, were lined up with girls on one side and guys on the other, the webs between our fingers were searched, we were taught how to say, "Yes sir!" and then thrown into holding cells. For fun.

Yes, another rockin' afternoon at the Melbourne gaol.

According to Wikipedia:
The Melbourne gaol was constructed starting in 1839, and during its operation as a prison between 1845 and 1924, it held and executed some of Australia's most notorious criminals, including bushranger Ned Kelly and serial killer Frederick Bailey Deeming. In total, 135 people were executed by hanging."

The gaol is now open to the public where you can walk through the the old cells, learn about the fine art of hanging, see where Ned Kelly died and get arrested. For fun.

After putting women in one set of holding cells and the men in others, the "Officer" said good night, told us to expect a breakfast of gruel at 7am and turned off the light. The room became dark and cell phones flickered to life. I was tempted to update my Facebook status, "In Jail!" But what would the neighbours say?

In addition to getting arrested for fun, you can participate in a dramatization of the Ned Kelly trial in the old court house.

Who is Ned Kelly?
Before I arrived in Australia I did not know about the famous bushranger known as Ned Kelly.

Depending on who you talk to he is either a merciless killer or a folk hero. Back to Wikipedia:

"Following an incident at his home in 1878, police parties searched for him in the bush. After he killed three policemen, the colony proclaimed Kelly and his gang wanted outlaws.
A final violent confrontation with police took place at Glenrowan on 28 June 1880. Kelly, dressed in home-made plate metal armour and a helmet, was captured and sent to jail. He was convicted of three counts of capital murder and hanged at Old Melbourne Gaol in November 1880."

Apparently Mick Jagger played Ned in a film of the tale.

The Melbourne Gaol also has artists from the local college do installations. Such as the clown in a cell, shown at right.