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Showing posts from August, 2025

RICHMOND GAOL - A STONE COLD START

Nestled in the picturesque town of Richmond, about 25 km northeast of Hobart, Richmond Gaol is Australia’s oldest intact colonial gaol—built between 1825 and 1840 using convict labor  Initially erected as a courthouse in 1825 (just a year after Richmond was proclaimed a village), it gradually expanded over 15 years to include a cookhouse, men’s and women’s wings, solitary confinement cells, and a surrounding sandstone wall by 1840  . 🛏️ Facilities & Daily Life: Cold Stone, Brutal Rules The Layout & Buildings include a Men’s wing, chain-gang sleeping rooms, holding rooms, a cookhouse, flogging yard, privy, and the only surviving example of a female solitary cell in Tasmania  Solitary Cells These notorious cells measure just 2 m × 1 m—dark, utterly confined, and completely silent. A bucket and a thin blanket were the only company, with bread and water for nourishment. Prisoners spent up to 21 days inside, forbidden even to speak. For us today even spending an hour confi...