This morning we are catching up on bits, cleaning up as we leave Melbourne tomorrow morning, visiting some friends along the way.
This afternoon we are going in to see the Old Melbourne Goal, apparently we can be arrested in a modern day police station by a Charge Sergeant, get locked up in the cells and experience an environment unchanged since the police and inmates left, Chris can do that one, I always thought he was a shady character or go maybe he can go on trial in an historic magistrate’s court. The watch house was built in 1908 and operated as the central “lock up” for the Melbourne Police until 1994, drunks, murderers and those charged with minor offences were all housed there together to await their day in court.
The Old Melbourne Goal; this was great and highly recommended. Jail in the 1840’s was certainly a lot harsher than it is now, no comforts of home and no TV. Just a small cell with a small window would have been very harsh conditions. People were put in jail for what would be very minor crimes, if crimes at all in present day, some were just children.
The goal was built in the 1840’s and is one of Victoria’s oldest buildings. 136 people including Ned Kelly were hanged here. We will be able to gaze upon Ned Kelly’s death mask, sounds creepy. Ned Kelly was the son of an Irish convict and when he was captured and imprisoned his mother was serving a sentence in the women’s’ wing, now that’s keeping it in the family.
We were arrested at the Police watch house and lined up with the other criminals, must be Chris’s influence I was once such a good girl. Women were on one side men on the other. We had to spread out hands to show we weren’t hiding any drugs, lift our tongues to the roof of our mouths again to show we weren’t concealing any drugs ( if it was real we would of been stripped search, glad they leave that out of the enactment) then split into smaller groups and put into cells. I must of being charged with being drunk (see what he has driven me too) as I was thrown into a wet cell with a few other drunken women. Wet cells because they can hose it out, they turned off the lights and it was pitch black. When Chris was led away to another cell, I told him I would wait for him, I think he was charged with just being disorderly, that would be right. We were let out and led to a small exercise yard to stretch our legs, we also had our mug shot taken before being set free, warned not to be seen in there again.
After the Goal we had tea and wandered down to Flinders’ St Station to take some photos. Being Saturday night the streets were packed, a lot of strange looking people too. We then went up to the Eureka Skydeck; have to say it was rather disappointing. They have made it very difficult to take photos, not only are you shooting through glass and the normal reflections you get by doing so, they have scrolling neon signs on the walls behind you and on the floor, and other lights all creating a lot of reflections on the glass and just about making it impossible to get some decent photos. You can go onto on a Terrace which is outside but surround by chicken wire, we could not get any shots that didn’t have wire in them. Looking down onto the city there isn’t really any points of interest, just general lights that are coming from buildings. I think it’s something everyone has to do but we certainly wouldn’t do it again.
Worn out we came home on the train, finishing our time in Melbourne.