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Winter activities
Pull on your winter woolies and get out and about at Maitland Gaol.
In response to Coronavirus (COVID-19) guided tours and activities are offered with reduced numbers so they can be delivered under social distancing guidelines.
All guided tours and activities must be pre-booked
There are three self guided audio tours available seven days a week, each providing a different perspective of life behind bars.
Maitland Gaol Revealed: will give you an in depth understanding of how prisoners slept, ate, exercised and wiled away the many thousands of hours until their release. You will explore each section of the site, revealing secrets straight from the mouths of those who knew it best, the ex-inmates and ex-warders.
Escaping Maitland Gaol: will lead you through the maze of cells, divulging intricate details of the many escape attempts seen throughout the gaol’s 150 year history. You will hear stories of ballsy efforts to break free of the gaol’s gruelling regime that almost always ended up with the crim's back serving an even longer sentence.
Snitch's Gaol Exploration: designed specifically for children the ghostly character ‘Snitch the Rat’ leads them on an adventure through the gaol cells. Snitch tells the children all the secrets of the gaol that he witnessed as the many criminals were brought in from the outside world. This tour is perfect for primary school aged children as it offers a fun and fascinating experience that is full of facts and stories that will entertain and educate.
You must download the app to your own device, simply search Maitland Gaol in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. DON'T FORGET YOUR HEADPHONES
Immerse yourself in the history of Maitland Gaol on this 90 minute family friendly guided tour, discovering stories of all sorts of heroes and villains. Delve into all parts of the site and learn of the changes that have occurred in prisoner treatment throughout the life of the oldest continually operating correctional facility in Australia.
Dates: 2, 9 & 11 July
Time: 11.00am
Cost: Adult - $30, Concession/Child - $24, Children under 5 free of charge
Bookings Essential
This 90 minute tours has been specially designed to explore the various stories and exact locations of some of the documented escapes from Maitland Gaol. The stories range from the unbelievable to the ludicrous and are sure to amaze you. Learn about the 'Magnificent Seven' and a raft of other escapees, their reason for incarceration and their method of escape.
Date: 27, 30 June & 4, 7 & 10 July
Time: 11.00am
Price: Adult - $30, Concession/Child - $24, Children under 5 free of charge
Bookings Essential
Explore the site with someone who new it best on this 90 minute guided tour and hear stories from the perspective of someone who worked in the facility for 20 years. Stories of famous and infamous characters from yesterday and yesteryear. Your guide will provide you with information on the history of this maximum security facility and what it was like to look after some of the 'worst of the worst'. Be prepared for some harrowing tales.
Date: 26 & 28 June, 3 & 5 July
Time: 11.00am
Price: Adult - $30, Concession/Child - $24, Children under 5 free of charge
Bookings Essential, not recommended for children under the age of 14.
Junior Sleuths will learn about how prisoners lived in the Gaol over the 150 years of its operation on this one hour guided tour. Afterwards they'll delve into prison tattoos and what these symbols represent (don't worry it's family friendly). Using some of the oldest tattoos recorded in Australia, children will learn what they mean and tell a story using them. As a bonus they receive a temporary tattoo to take home as a souvenir of their time behind bars at Maitland Gaol.
Date: Tuesday 29 June & 6 July
Time: 11.00am
Price: Adult & Child package - $15, additional child - $10 and additional adult - $10.
Bookings Essential
With hours to while away whilst locked up in Maitland Gaol, many prisoners turned their hands to different sorts of work. The metal shop offered lots of opportunities, for good and bad behaviour. Enjoy a one hour guided mini tour with a tour guide to hear all about the sorts of work prisoners undertook in Gaol, in particular the metal shop. At the completion of the tour children get to make a special metal tag, just like the ones prisoners made.
Date: Thursday 1 & 8 July
Time: 11.00am
Price: Adult & Child package - $15, additional child - $10 and additional adult - $10.
Bookings Essential
PLEASE NOTE: Children must be accompanied by a responsible adult or concession. Child tickets can not be purchased without adult or concession ticket for online sales, call Maitland Gaol on (02) 4936 6482 for more information.