18 November 2024

Something I found by accident- Victoria’s first prison farm ! A semi circle of individual huts, laid out so the central office looked out on them all; another very geometric creation by PWD Chief Architect Percy Everett (probably). Located at Cooriemungle, just inland from Port Campbell, it was built in 1939-40, and the idea was the prisoners would work on clearing the ‘virgin forest’ so that farms could be more quickly established. The prisoners were those who had not committed violent crimes, had completed most of their sentence, and considered reliable. They each got a ‘cosy cubicle’ 8×7 feet, with a bed and a table (but must have been freezing in winter). There were other country prisons, but apparently they didn’t do productive work. It closed in 1977, and has since been used as a holiday camp, for school and church groups and the like. Not much about it recently, not sure if still going, but it does have a heritage overlay. This is a presumed Everett, since it was designed by Public Works during his tenure. The central hut has his fave corner windows too.

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