Old Melbourne Gaol

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Old Melbourne Gaol is a museum and former prison located in Russell Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Currently it consists of a bluestone building and courtyard and is located next to the old City Police Watch House and City Courts buildings (both now occupied by RMIT University). The jail was closed in 1924 when Police stables were constructed. By 1924 it was a run-down structure; then parts of the Gaol were demolished. The gaol was the setting for 135 hangings, the most infamous being that of bushranger Ned Kelly in 1880. For a short time it was used as a Military prison during World War II. Later it was used as a storage facility for the Victoria Police Force whose headquarters were nearby in Russell Street. In 1972, the Gaol was reopened in its current role as a public museum.