Pentridge prison open for tours of ‘untouched’ cell blocks

Pentridge prison has a notorious reputation for housing some of the country’s worst criminals and now you can step back in time to see exactly what it was like.

There’s a new and exciting attraction coming to Melbourne for brave souls who are willing to be transported back in time to experience what it was like inside Australia’s toughest prison.

The National Trust Victoria is opening the doors and welcoming visitors to Pentridge Prison Tours, where two cell blocks remain “untouched” from their days of imprisoning notorious criminals.

Australian Council of National Trusts chair Lachlan Molesworth described the new tours as “the closest thing to stepping back into a time machine”.

“You feel like you're in this frankly shocking space, in a pretty shocking part of Australian history,” Mr Molesworth said.

The tours will take visitors through H and B divisions, the cell blocks that housed the roughest criminals and had the harshest conditions, that have been preserved to remain as they were when the prison shut in 1997.

The maximum-security cell blocks at Pentridge prison are open to the public the first time, where visitors can step back in time to experience what Victoria’s worst criminals endured. (Picture: Brent Lukey)

“It is mind blowing how untouched the whole facility is in these divisions,” Mr Molesworth said.

“H division was nicknamed Hell division … it was the most notorious, harshest prison conditions in Australia … and these two areas are being opened for the first time.

“Parts of H block, if you close your eyes and open them, it's like you’re there back in 1997.”

Mr Molesworth said the preserved parts of the prison hadn’t been altered for decades, with 100-year-old locks on the doors.

The tours will take visitors on an immersive journey through two of the harshest divisions in the prison. (Picture: Brent Lukey)

“It was almost the same in every single way … it's just extraordinary how little was changed in such an extensive period of time.”

The National Trust has used “cutting edge” technology to elevate the attraction from a historical tour to a multi-sensory digital experience.

“Going into it will be like stepping onto a film set – the use of lighting, projections and audio visual elements makes it completely immersive,’’ she said.

“You have full projections of what inmates would have seen what they would have heard, it's a little bit like stepping into a horror film on some of the tours we’re going to be running.”

The National Trust of Australia will run three different tours, with a late-night tour for ages 16 and over only. (Picture: Brent Lukey)

Three different tours will be on offer for visitors, with family friendly versions running during the day and a late-night tour for those aged 16 and over who want more scare-factor.

Visitors will listen to accounts from both inmates and guards who were part of the high-security units, revealing the harsh realities of the prison.

Stories told on the tour will include the struggles endured by Indigenous inmates, the fight against capital punishment when Ronald Ryan was executed in the country and the tales of other infamous crooks like Carl Williams and ‘Chopper’ Reed.

Mr Molesworth said the Pentridge prison tour attraction was set to become one of the most important tourism sites in the country.

“It’s not just sort of a history experience, but it is a full immersive digital experience,” he said.

“It’s like going to a theme park, but a theme park where you actually learn and you feel.”

For more information visit the Pentridge Prison tours website.