The Old Dubbo Gaol is a heritage-listed former

gaol A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, English language in England, standard English, Australian English, Australian, and Huron Historic Gaol, historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention cen ...

and now museum and tourist attraction at 90 Macquarie Street, Dubbo in the

Dubbo Regional Council The Dubbo Regional Council is a local government area located in the Central West and Orana regions of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a merger of the City of Dubbo and Wellington Council as part of a ...

local government area of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. The gaol was designed by the NSW Colonial Architect's Office and was built from 1847 to 1945 by James Atkinson Jnr (1862–63) and

William Bonython Moffatt William Bonython Moffatt (1812 – 24 May 1887) was an architect, who for many years was a partner with Sir George Gilbert Scott at Spring Gardens, London. Moffatt was the son of a small builder and pupil of James Edmeston. He was originally take ...

(1871 and 1874). The gaol is also known as the Dubbo Jail and the Dubbo Gaol. The building was added to the

New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...

on 26 March 2004. The building was the second gaol in Dubbo, replacing lockups built in 1847 and 1862. When closed, the Government of New South Wales planned its demolition and replacement with a multi-storey office block. Protests led by the then Dubbo City Council and local historical society led to the plans being dropped. In 1973 the building was transferred from the NSW Department for Corrections to the city council, with the intention of restoration and creation of a tourist attraction.

History

The Dubbo Gaol was erected on the site of the original courthouse. It is believed to have been officially opened in 1887. Many of the buildings however were already in existence by this time. Many changes and new buildings followed. The surrounding wall also changed shape. Closed as a gaol in 1966, the complex re-opened as a tourist attraction in 1974. In 2015 Old Dubbo Jail won a silver prize in the cultural tourism category of the 12th Travel Inland Tourism Awards. The Gaol was inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame.''Dubbo Photo News''. 30 July 2015. In August 2016 the gaol was closed to allow extensive restoration and renovation of the site.''Star FM''. Dubbo. 1 August 2016.

Description

The Old Dubbo Gaol is a small, compact gaol located within the central business district of Dubbo. The enclosing wall is extensive and high. It is built of Dubbo red-brown bricks in

English bond Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called ''courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by siz ...

, with

piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...

, laid in lime mortar. Above the north-eastern corner of the wall is a watchtower having a wide eaved roof of

corrugated iron Corrugated galvanised iron or steel, colloquially corrugated iron (near universal), wriggly tin (taken from UK military slang), pailing (in Caribbean English), corrugated sheet metal (in North America) and occasionally abbreviated CGI is a ...

. Originally a catwalk extended from the watchtower. The structure inside the gaol wall include the main male cell block with 12 ordinary cells and specialised cells comprising two solitary confinement cells, a padded cell, a condemned cell; the female cell block comprising two cells, a bathroom and exercise yard; the infirmary and kitchen block, including a kitchen, infirmary, Library, bathroom, two store rooms, two offices; two remand yards adjacent to a debtors exercise yard and an early toilet block, laundry building with toilets and fenced exercise yards, sanitary disposal facility, toilet. The buildings are mainly

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

with hipped corrugated iron roofs, while the entrance, watchtower and women's cell block are of brick. The infirmary and kitchen and the male exercise yard feature simple wooden

brackets A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. Typically deployed in symmetric pairs, an individual bracket may be identified as a 'left' or ' ...

to the

veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''vera ...

h posts. The gallows were re-erected.

Condition

As at 8 December 2010, the physical condition of the buildings is good, however, rising damp is a problem in some areas. Fences are suffering from dry rot. The re-erected gallows are in poor, deteriorating condition. The first two public buildings in Dubbo - a police residence and court house/lockup were built in this precinct. There were two prisons and two court houses built within the precinct prior to the construction of the present buildings. Archaeological potential would be expected to be medium to high in a number of areas. Some features lost but reasonably authentic restoration overall. Built over a number of different periods always changing. More sympathetic signs suggested.

Modifications and dates

Modifications since initial construction are: *1847-48 - First police residence and courthouse/lockup built *1862-63 - New court house and watch house built, designed by Colonial Architects office. *1869-70 - Additions to back of court house. *1871 - New stone watch house or lock up built - beginning of Dubbo Gaol. *1873-74 Additions - extension to cell block with 5 cells, fenced enclosure around the east end of cell block, *1877-80 - major extensions - hospital and kitchen block, perimeter wall and two watchtowers, shelter

sheds A shed is typically a simple, single-story roofed structure that is used for hobbies, or as a workshop in a back garden or on an allotment. Sheds vary considerably in their size and complexity of construction, from simple open-sided ones de ...

. *1886-87 - major alterations and additions including construction of residences (gaoler's), re-located entrance, women's cells & bathroom, new gateway/entrance *1895-98 - extension of gaol wall, removal of one watchtower, new trial yard, shelter sheds, new office and guard room etc. *1928-29 - extensive renovations and additions, including new gaolers residence *1934 - sewerage connected and modifications to bathrooms etc. *1945 - two trial yards extended

Heritage listing

As at 24 July 2003, Old Dubbo Gaol is of State, regional and Local significance and is listed on the now defunct Register of the National Estate. The presence of the gaol is a significant reminder of the unusual origins of the

City of Dubbo The City of Dubbo was a local government area in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia. The former area is located adjacent to the Mitchell, Newell, and the Golden highways, the Main Western railway line, and the Macquarie River. A ...

as a regional centre for the judiciary before it became a location of commerce and habitation. Although no longer a working gaol, it served the area both as a Police and minor Gaol in the 95 years of operation as part of the facilities for the administration of justice across the region. It is a survivor of the "

Hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

" type of gaol typical of the New South Wales justice system. Most of these have now disappeared or are very much altered. It is associated with a

James Barnet James Johnstone Barnet, (1827 in Almericlose, Arbroath, Scotland – 16 December 1904 in Forest Lodge, Sydney, New South Wales) was the Colonial Architect for Colonial New South Wales, serving from 1862 to 1890. Early life Born the son of a ...

Court House within the precinct. Old Dubbo Gaol also has social significance as a major tourist attraction in the city and is also seen as an underutilised civic amenity. It is of social significance for the fact that it was saved from demolition by State government actions by a group of local citizens in 1974. The survival of the gaol is due to their enthusiasm and energy. Its social significance is also extended to surviving inmates and their relatives and descendants, both of European and Aboriginal extract. The Old Dubbo Gaol has aesthetic significance as a group of well proportioned and well constructed buildings surrounded by grass lawns set within a brick walled compound. It is an oasis of peace and calm in the middle of a bustling modern city. Old Dubbo Gaol was listed on the

on 26 March 2004 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the course, or pattern, of cultural or natural history in New South Wales. Old Dubbo Gaol is one of many country gaols erected in the 19th century to cope with the burgeoning population as it spread west and opened up the interior of New South Wales. By 1900 there were many prisons and lockups across the state. As such then, Old Dubbo Gaol is not important in the course, or pattern of NSW's cultural or natural history. However, it is of exceptional significance locally. The buildings erected for the purpose of the administration of justice for Dubbo and the surrounding region were the first to appear in the new settlement. The Gaol therefore traces its lineage to the beginning of the city. Aboriginal association with the gaol, in terms of intercultural relations on the frontier of white settlement is exceptionally high. The place has a strong or special association with a person, or group of persons, of importance of cultural or natural history of New South Wales's history. Dubbo Gaol was never more than a local and regional gaol. The staff, inmates and other visitors were similar to other gaols and judicial institutions of this type across the state. The Gaol has associations with some infamous criminals, in particular, Jackie Underwood who was hanged in the Gaol in 1901 for his part in the Breelong Incident near

Gilgandra Gilgandra is a country town in the Orana region of New South Wales, Australia, and services the surrounding agricultural area where wheat is grown extensively together with other cereal crops, and sheep and beef cattle are raised. Sitting at t ...

. The Gaol is also associated with the Dubbo Court House, a remarkable James Barnet Court House designed c.1887. While working as the Clerk of the Court in Dubbo,

Rolf Boldrewood Thomas Alexander Browne (born Brown, 6 August 1826 – 11 March 1915) was an Australian author who published many of his works under the pseudonym Rolf Boldrewood. He is best known for his 1882 bushranging novel '' Robbery Under Arms''. Biog ...

penned the Australian classic novel, ''

Robbery under Arms ''Robbery Under Arms'' is a bushranger novel by Thomas Alexander Browne, published under his pen name Rolf Boldrewood. It was first published in serialised form by ''The Sydney Mail'' between July 1882 and August 1883, then in three volumes i ...

''. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. Old Dubbo Gaol sits within a high gaol wall in the main street of Dubbo. While the gaol itself does not have any extraordinary aesthetic appeal, the location and ambience of the buildings within the busy Dubbo CBD, provides an appealing oasis within the Dubbo CBD. Its close proximity to the aesthetically outstanding Dubbo Court House and gardens adds to this setting. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. Old Dubbo Gaol does not have strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in NSW (or the local; area) for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. It does however, have association with the "under-classes", in particular, rural poor, itinerant rural workers, hawkers and "swaggies". The Gaol did incarcerate a surprisingly large number of prisoners from culturally diverse backgrounds, particularly the

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

. Of the eight men hanged in the Gaol, two were Aboriginal, two were Chinese and one was a Dane. The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. The history of the Gaol is now well researched and it is unlikely that any significant new material will emerge from the place. Archaeological excavations may reveal some interesting information or remains but nothing that could be gleaned from other sites. A very large number of Aboriginal people from the region were incarcerated in the Gaol during the process of dispossession, and future research may reveal some interesting episodes in the history of inter-cultural relations in a "frontier" location. The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. Old Dubbo Gaol is uncommon in its completeness. It is possibly the most complete country gaol listed on the register of the National Estate for New South Wales. Most of the other country gaols have been removed, demolished, or altered so significantly that it is not easy to interpret their origins and functions. In this respect Old Dubbo Gaol has HIGH significance for the State and for the region beyond the Blue Mountains. The free standing, demountable scaffold, is probably unique in Australia and therefore highly significant to the study of capital punishment in Australia. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural or natural places/environments in New South Wales. Old Dubbo Gaol is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of NSW's cultural; or natural places in that it closely follows the "Hay" style of country gaol as identified by J. S. Kerr. In this it is judged as being of HIGH significance. It would gain a higher rating if the Gaoler's Cottage was still standing. As both the early and the later cottages have been demolished the gaol is not complete. However, in its current state of preservation it is a remarkably intact survivor of its type.

References

Bibliography

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Attribution

External links

Old Dubbo Gaol official web site
{{NewSouthWalesPrisons Defunct prisons in New South Wales Prison museums in Australia 1871 establishments in Australia 1966 disestablishments in Australia New South Wales State Heritage Register Museums in New South Wales Articles incorporating text from the New South Wales State Heritage Register Dubbo