I booked time in an Australian jail - my trip must be going well !!!

Well some of you may or may not know that I keep a 'Bucket List,' a list of over 100 things I want to do before I die, and I truly try and do as many as I can. Well what is NOT on the list is booking time in an Australian jail....or more specifically watch house. Well that is exactly what I did end up doing... at the Old Melbourne Gaol.

Alright, so that my grandma doesn't have a heart attack... I'll drop the facade. I went to the Old Melbourne Gaol on a tour, and I did actually book time because part of the tour includes getting a fake ID and as you pass through the jail, they treat you like a prisoner, yelling at you, locking you up, etc. Why would I put myself in that situation, some of you may ask? Cause it was fun!!

 This jail just closed in 1994, after opening its doors in 1845. It was the site of 133 hangings, and held men, women, and children within its cell blocks. It was also the famous place were Australian legend Ned Kelly was hung (never heard of him?: http://www.nedkellysworld.com.au/history/history.htm ). It was eerie being in a place that is supposedly haunted and closed its doors within my lifetime. Rightfully so; the jail guard said that on her first day giving a tour, a man participated, and during the time when she yells at you and "checks you for weapons," he freaked out and started harassing her and getting pissed off. Come to find out he was somebody who had spent time on the inside of this jail, and was NOT happy about the feeling coming back to him, and he was taking out his emotions on this lady by nearly attacking her. Sounds like nightmare material to me. 

The place itself is very interesting; one of the most interesting parts was the heads.

These heads were casts made out of the just-hung heads of the prisoners. There were used to study phrenology; measuring craniums and such to understand criminal behavior. It was an eerie but interesting sight. What do you think of them?

From the outside, courtyard

The main cell block

Getting locked up!

The tour was interesting indeed, definitely worth checking out. The gems of Melbourne continue to come out.....