October 2025
The great huge stonking entrance to the Old Melbourne Gaol, off Victoria Street, partly hidden behind RMIT buildings. It was built in the early 1860s, designed by JJ Clark or Gustav Joachimi, who also designed the Pentridge entrance around the same time. It leads into a nice courtyard with the chapel on axis. I didn’t poke around much, but I did notice worn steps to one side of the arch, presumably up to a gate keepers office or similar, now just a stone wall.
It stopped being a gaol (jail?) in 1923, but everyone must have thought this bit to be quite nice, so it was never demolished, and eventually taken over by RMIT, which expanded around it. Never been in, but I recall being told the chapel housed life drawing classes for a while (update : it did, 60s – 80s at least).
Storey of Melbourne 