[fr] 
[es]H.M. Melbourne's Pentridge prison
| Type | Aerial view | Country | Date | Status | Rating | |
 Military domain | Here ! |  Australia | 2005-10-01 | Reconverted | *** |
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A Bit Of History...
Main façade. Click to enlarge!
H.M. Pentridge Prison was built in 1850 and closed down officially in May 1997. Its nickname in the prison environment was "The Bluestone College".
Today, the prison is partially demolished to build some new housings. Main façade remains, and some detention camps.
During the local gold rush, criminality rates increase and a new prison is needed.
Many blue stones to break around here, so the prisoners can be kept busy, and also start to build the road from Melbourne to Sydney.
Side view. Click to enlarge!
Due to an increasing number of prisoners, Pentridge is modernized around 1870.Surrounding walls are built, guard towers are raised. The capacity reaches around 650 prisoners and 100 employees.
Little by little the conditions get better. A monthly visit is allowed in 1945, and a fortnight letter. Several production sites are created inside the prison during the 60's.
In 1970 more than 1000 prisoners are detained, with new cool rights like: reading, acting, studying.
Peephole on a cell door
All the executions happened inside the prison. The last man killed was Ronald Ryan, in 1967. He was hung after having killed a guard during a prison escape. As a doubt remained and he might have been innocent, executions stopped.
After 1984, lots of scandals happen: strikes, riots, drugs... The privatization of the prisons a few years later does not help.
Finally, in 1997, Pentridge definitely closed down.
A Few Words About This Urban Exploration...
October 2005, Melbourne. Escaping from Pentridge was supposed to be difficult. What about the infiltration, 10 years after the prison is abandoned?
The site was still having active motion detectors and cameras. Security doors, welded or heavily locked bars.
Climbing the ramparts, security nets, rooftops, the attic and, a couple of hours later, finally inside!
The most total darkness, creepy atmosphere. Everything remains intact, cells furniture still here, prisoner's graffitis too.
The photos gathered here are probably not the best ones on this site, but this exploration is certainly the most intense one...
Yes Adam you are right that there were many Rock spiders in pentridge but not in any Division that i spent time as you seem to know they were a protected speaces so for those that realy know the mainstream population didnt get anywere near child sex offenders so adam kepp ya hand of of it as if you had of been there then you would know it wasnt hjard 2 get 2 who ever you wanted to 2 so does that mean the rope is for you also as crime is crimebut with such insight to whatv you have left as a comment then i spose you are right ......!!!!!!!!!! NOT!!!!!!!!
Dot i know Miss Merlo she had such a hard time over the book she wrote she stood up for what she thought was right i sugest you read the book H Division Auther Doug robbinson that a Division Miss Merlo didnt get to serve as an officer in i was there when she was employed in D Division but H Division realy says what prison was like at least as i knew it. Lumpy.
I suggest to everyone who reads this to get the book "SCREW" Observations and revelations of a prison officer. By Pat Merlo. Hudson publications. This true account of the real goings on within the correctional services should be read by everyone remotely interested in justice and Pentridge. I know all the facts contained within this autobiography are totally true with documents to prove all allegations within this well written book.
As long as H Division is pulled down who cares i spent many a long night in that HELL hole i was glad to see the back of it when it closed down in 94
Hi Adam,
You say you live in the redevelopment? What parts are still intact? Is the original H-Division still there, and if so what is it being used for now? I would be interested to know what original parts still remain undeveloped.
thanks,
I spent time in the place. As I see it open it and the others like it once more. No rights just time to think about the children you raped and murdered, the elderly raped and murdered, the innocent young girls raped and murdered, the children abducted never to be seen again. Yeah I got 2 rock spiders got caught in I went. All these f88king metro sexual reformists who want to rehabilitate prisoners look at what they have done. Bring back the rope. And if you think I'm oh so horrible... Lady taxi driver at work one night in Bris. Her next fare murdered her. The 2 children she had went from model A students to model Z students. He was allowed to complete High school then Uni. Counseling for the boy and girl??? Nothing! Support?? Nothing! But oh yes we must consider the welfare of the prisoner. Give me a call and I'll tell you what these bastards have done and continue to do. Harley
Valid points for somewhere else maybe????? What all that has to do with the re-development I don't know...
hey harley Rider
mate, i agree, its sickening that our society lets this happen.
In the UK, prisoners who rape and murder have the joy of playing playstation in prision, and they get to complete uni degrees and the like
But, this site isnt about that
anyways
i do agree
I spent time in the place. As I see it open it and the others like it once more. No rights just time to think about the children you raped and murdered, the elderly raped and murdered, the inocent young girls raped and murdered, the children abducted never to be seen again. Yeah I got 2 rock spiders got caught in I went. All these f88king metro sexual reformists who want to rehabilitate prisoners look at what they have done. Bring back the rope. And if you think I'm oh so horrible... Lady taxi driver at work one night in Bris. Her next fare murdered her. The 2 children she had went from model A students to model Z students. He was allowed to complete High school then Uni. Counselling for the boy and girl??? Nothing! Support?? Nothing! But oh yes we must consider the welfare of the prisoner. Give me a call and I'll tell you what these bastards have done and continue to do. Harley
hey andy williams
sounds like you have it right
is it true about the motion sensors, patrols etc
I would love to watch a sunset from the tower
XD
yes there will be a museum in side a certain part of the prison 
I would like to access information re. an employee at Pentridge Stockade (Female) at around 1918-1919. Would be appreciated. Denise
On the three "stairway" picture we may see a 10 souls of ghost's who hunt this place... at night > Nice cath forbidden-places
I live in Pentridge. And it has not been destroyed as all you nay sayers say it has or will be. I live in the bootery and it is Heratidge Listed and very difficult to do anything to this place without heratidge say so. I love this place just as much as all of you that have commented previously and am so happy to be able to live here and it's not just wasted space!.. I have a guards tower in my back yard along with a 20 something foot bluestone wall. I drive through a beautiful bluestone arch to get in to where I live and have an 1800's building across a bolarded lane that I live in. I can spend Sunday afternoons on top of the guards tower, basking in the sun light, looking out across Melbourne city and surrounding suburbs. Now I realise that it's been 5 years since the original comments. So hopefully you don't feel that way anymore. The better part of Pentridge is still the same as it was for the last hundred years. And I believe it will stay that way. Especially now that it's heratidge listed. I say bring Pentridge back into our lives. Don't just leave it to rot away and disappear from both memory, history and landscape.
I've heard rumours that the front part of Pentridge is going to be reopened as a museum, or at least opened for visitors. Just wondering if anyone else has any info on this?
I am a Coburg resident & I thought it would be a shame to lose the bluestone buildings. I am happy to say most of it has been left. There is a wonderful cafe/restaurant (Della Rose or Delle Rose) just near D Division on Urquhart Street and it has a lovely feel believe it or not. You are sitting amongst blue stone in the most magnificent rose garden. Staff wear prison stripes and the food is good. There is a fountain in one of the gardens. Most of the buildings are of historical interest and I couldn't imagine them being demolished. 
I was hoping that I could get some information on how to access old records. On researching our family tree I have discovered that my grandfather's brother Albert Ristuccia, was a boxer in Melbourne in the 1920's, and he served some time in Pentridge Prison. I am trying to fill in the gaps in my family's history and would be grateful for any assistance, thanks
I am a teacher of Reiki. In May 1992, I was one of a small number of folk from outside who went into Pentridge to train a group of prisoners in our practice. It was a transformational experience for both prisoners and ourselves. During our visit, we were given the run of the cell block and prisoners even showed us over their cells, and talked about their lives behind bars. We had a unique experience for people from outside the walls. What a grim place! I will never forget! Now that the place is closed, it is great to have the chance to explore again.
i was there for four years,79/83.took part in the moomba festival,i was the 2nd juror in the play 12 angry men. we won that year from what i can remember. a division. j div. then to morwell river.back to d div.then to ararat.then back to d. b glad 2 hear from anyone who was there @ th time.
Its now become housing
Can anyone tell me if there was a riot at Pentridge 1965/66?
Does anyone know if H division has been demolished?
could somebody tell me where in Melbourne Pentridge is located
total shame this place got closed down, so much potential for hotel or a musem or even just leave it open in memory of what it was. i remember the tour i went on with my school amd all teh stories and history that was told. biggest mistake in history to demolish this large piace of melbourns history. if advitised correctly.... could have made alot of money and brought alot of people to the northern suberbs. once again. DAMN SHAME. whoever authorised the demolition and who ever had the stupid idea, should be locked up for life. 
i would realy like to no are you digging up all graves is so i wont to no about rege isacc he is very important to me
i realy need to no thank you chris attwell 0397505544 or 0400763030
to visit my friends in 97 just before it closed down. they were doing 8 years there
was recently lucky enough to be given a brief tour of a certain division(12/10/07)and it has been bought by an italian group who will be storing expensive wines there with 24 hour security,but hope to open a small part as a tourist attraction,and will be transforming the rest into fancy apartments and gardens with fountains and fine cafes ,quite a transformation,over 10 years they say they will be spending millions of dollars,and if you look from the outside you can see it is already underway,i wil be looking out for a chance to visit again in the near future,maybe they should open up more like the old melbourne jail
a lot of memories looking st your pics,i had a lot of friends that were there all of them good people in one way or another, its such a shame ! the blue stone motel was a huge part of history....they should have left it well enough alone !...great site
Hi, how can I download these photos?
im really dissapointed in seeing there's hardly anything left of pentridge i think it's wrong they shouldnt have been able to touch the building what ever happend to old melbourne the whole lot of old buildings seem to be getting knocked and houses built whats going to happen to melbourne's old history but great photo's guys did you's actually get permission to go in there i would have loved to have gone in there but doesnt look like ill get the chance now there's nothing really there anymore!!
I know, these photos are disappointing, their quality is quite bad. I will regret it for a long time... One year later, with my current photos skills, the results would be much better... I guess I will not have a second chance of going back there again...
i cant put into words how excited i was to see that you had explored pentridge. especially so recent. shame about the fact there isnt as many photos, but still, such a pleasure to get to see the ones you took. really, really, awesome.