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diseldriver · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 31 Location: LA;-USA

Maitland Gaol, Australia

Maitland Gaol, located 163km North of Sydney and approximately 32km north-west of Newcastle was opened on 1st January 1849, following the closure of Newcastle Gaol on 31st December, 1848.

The site was first built (the foundation stone was laid) in 1844. It's designer was colonial architect Mortimer Lewis, designer of the first Customs House in Sydney.

The design of the Gaol was based on English Gaols, local sandstone was brought in from nearby Morpeth and Farlye and used to construct it. The first 40 convicts arrived in 1848. Convicts were forced to walk from the nearby Steel town Newcastle after it's closure on 31st December, 1848. The prisoners were forced to walk to the gaol in shackles and chains.

Executions were carried out inside the gaol. Prisoners were hung at the control center in front of a gathered crowd of locals who would enjoy the spectacle of seeing a prisoner be executed.

Women and children were also housed in the Prison. One of the older blocks in the gaol held the women and their children together in terrible conditions of those times.

Conditions were indeed very harsh in the old gaol as the Prison was originally built to house only 150 prisoners. Eventually it became overcrowded with 300 prisoners. The prisoners mental and physical health suffered greatly and their anguish can sometimes still be heard echoing through the dark cells that remain to this day. The Gaol was still open and in use until January 1998 and was considered one of the toughest gaols in Australia. This is due to it being a maximum security prison and housing some of the most dangerous criminals in Australia. The Australian Government closed it down after deciding that it was no longer suitable for prisoners. The security measures and old cells were no longer suitable to house such dangerous criminals.

Of course Maitland Gaol is now open to the public. The cell blocks, cells and everything else appears as though the prisoners were there just a few minutes ago. You can easily take a daytime tour through the old gaol or experience a night time ghost tour with special Clairvoyant guides. The gaol is regarded as one of Australia's Most haunted sites. It's haunted history tells of dark figures seen wandering the cells at night, grabbing and pushing some unsuspecting tourists. Breathing down the backs of their necks, or scratching them. Psychics and other not so psychic people have a great deal of difficulty entering some of the cells and walking the grounds. Ghostly apparitions and strange noises including voices are often heard. The guides who take the night tours have had many a seriously spooky encounter.
Different people see different things, from ghostly apparitions, to hearing dominant male voices threatening and jeering at them.