Ned's Dead at the Old Melbourne Gaol

Tuesday night we went to hear some ghost stories at the Old Melbourne Gaols.  Jeff had been on a Watchman's Tour when the Field's came to visit, so we decided to switch it up and go with the ghost tour with the Turnbull's.

The story behind the Old Melbourne Gaols is pretty interesting, with hanging still happening until the 1960's (though by this point they were taking place inside, versus on the corner of the busy street), and there are lots of stories of ghosts living in the Gaols.  A little feedback for the Gaol, when the ghost tour guide repeatedly says things like "when Trevor, who doesn't believe in ghosts, wrote this tour ...", kinda kills the ghost tour mystique whether you believe in them or not.

Ned Kelly is by far the most infamous inmate which occupied a cell in this Gaol.  Despite being a cop-killing bushranger, he seems to carry the aura of a national hero.  His final capture occurred in a gun battle with the authorities in which he and three of his mates had assembled rudimentary "bullet-proof" armor.  His three mates perished in the battle, but he was captured alive and housed in the Melbourne Gaol before being put to death at the gallows.  His famous last words ... "Ah, well, I suppose it has come to this.  Such is life."  There are heaps of books and movies on this guy, I suppose we'll have to catch one to fully understand the folklore.

Try as we may, none of us captured any ghosts on our cameras.  I pretended that I was Ned Kelly, and Jeff scared some other tour-takers...he was standing in the "most haunted cell" (in a black coat and dark jeans - in the dark), and some young kids came into the cell thinking that there wasn't anyone in there, only there he was...Jeff gave them quite a scare!  They yelled and he laughed!

Preparing for the ghost tour in front of the Old Melbourne Gaol

Exterior of the Gaol

Inside the Gaol from the top of three floors.

Cells not very large.  Not sure Shaq could sleep in this thing.

The gallows.  That is the actual beam all 153 inmates
 put to death, 4 of them women, hanged from. 

There is an art to it.  The placement of the knot and the length of
 the rope ... obviously, both critical to a quick and clean execution.

The haunted cell where Jeff scared the pants of some unsuspecting visitors.

Ned Kelly

The armor Ned Kelly and his 3 mates wore in a shootout with the authorities.

Me as Ned Kelly

Holy moly!  Better send this one into the Gaol to add to their ghost picture collection.