26 of us set off on a very cold wet July morning for North Coburg on public transport while 4 decided to drive. That tram ride up Sydney Road never disappoints me.
Pentridge is now a great tourist attraction with a modern shopping complex, a palace cinema, hotels and high rise accommodation – all behind those bluestone walls .
But we were there to experience life behind bars!
We were greeted by a guide who told us story after story and we now know that H division really was a dismal place. A Hell Hole for all those prisoners who had tried to escape or had committed very serious crimes. Small cells, strict rules, monotonous work and unspeakable cruelty inflicted on Victoria’s worst prisoners.
This didn’t stop our group from wandering into the cells and imagining how it might have been for the likes of Ronald Ryan, Chopper Read , Julian Knight & Peter Dupas .
Pentridge closed in 1997 after 146 years of uninterrupted operation.
Lunch might have been slow but tongues wagged and some women were known to visit a clothing store!
Weather, public transport and restaurant service can be challenging so thank you all for being so flexible.
Janette James Convenor Day Trips 25 July 2024
