Search
Pentridge Prison Tours
Things To Do Coburg, Moreland, Victoria
Cultural and Theme Tours
Experience one of Melbourne’s newest attractions, Pentridge Prison Tours. Uncover the stories and complex history of Pentridge Prison, Australia’s longest operating and one of the country’s harshest prisons.
From the time spent inside by some of Australia’s most notorious criminals, like Ned Kelly and Mark ‘Chopper’ Read, to the anecdotes and lived experiences of thousands of people over several generations; the National Trust’s explorative tours will immerse you in a shared history of unsettling truths.
Led by expert guides and with cutting-edge technology, the National Trust offers a range of tours for all ages, each uncovering a different aspect of life inside the Prison. Family tours run weekly and daily during Victorian School Holidays.
The Indigenous history of the site is at the forefront the Pentridge Prison Tour experience, with National Trust’s expert guides introducing what it means to have had a prison on Wurundjeri Country both for the community and the individuals incarcerated at Pentridge Prison.
Services
From $28 to $38
Experience a century and half of inmate and warder history and the changing models of justice. See inside replicas of original cells and the contraband confiscated from prisoners. Explore the ruins of B-Division’s panopticon, one of only eight surviving in the world.
The B Division tour, will take visitors back to Pentridge’s stockade origins and journey from pre-colonial times through to the closure of Pentridge in 1997. The B Division tour includes a visit to the remains one of Pentridge’s ‘airing yards’, a circular shaped yard featuring a central observation tower from which the gaoler could observe the prisoners. Also known as Panopticons, there are only eight known airing yards of this style in the world. Three of these were found at Pentridge.
Tour lasts approximately 90 mins
Disabled Access
From $28 to $38
Venture into the dark heart of Pentridge, known by its inmates as Hell Division.
Established in 1958 as a maximum security unit, this section remains one of the most notorious in Australian history. Your expert guide, coupled with the latest immersive audio technology, will lead you on a 90-minute exploration of the confronting history of a prison section that has been closed for over 25 years.
Step inside the cells and yards of H Division, and let history come alive as you experience the harsh realities that inmates faced daily. This tour is a must for anyone seeking a deep understanding of the brutal realities of prison life in the past.
Tour lasts approximately 90 mins
Disabled Access
From $40 to $45
As night descends upon Pentridge Prison, your tour guide will lead you through the notorious tales that have established H Division’s reputation as a fearsome correctional facility. Learn of Melbourne’s criminal underworld and punishment systems that has become infamous over the decades.
Through cutting-edge audio-immersive technology, you will be able to listen to accounts from both inmates and guards who were part of this high-security unit, revealing the harsh realities of H Division.
Tour lasts approximately 90 mins
Disabled Access
$25
Escape with the kids on Pentridge Prison Tour’s new family tour, and discover the history of Australia’s most infamous prison. Suitable for children of all ages, this tour will take families inside H Division and the wider precinct.
Families will come together as the latest recruits in the Pentridge Detective Training Program to help thwart a daring escape. It is up to the young detectives to unravel the mystery of who is behind it, how they plan to escape, where it will happen, and when.
Along the way, your tour guide will visit key spots around Pentridge Prison that witnessed daring, and sometimes disastrous escape attempts, share stories of some of Pentridge Prison’s colourful characters, and learn more about what life was like on the inside.
This Family tour lasts approximately one hour.
Disabled Access
Carpark Family Friendly
