Fun Fact: A very strange job a prisoner could have gotten while they were in Old Dubbo Gaol was that of 'Lunatic Keeper', this would involve a prisoner sitting inside the padded cell for the whole of the night with a person deemed 'insane' to make sure they didn't harm themselves.

The Old Dubbo Gaol was a courthouse lockup in 1847, was proclaimed an official Gaol in 1859 and closed operations as a penal institution in 1966. Officially re-opened as a tourist attraction in 1974, the Gaol is now fully restored and is home to a large display of animatronic models and holographic displays which provide a realistic and fascinating insight into a bygone era of barbaric prison life.

Wandering around this unique collection of 19th century buildings and artefacts, learning the stories of prison life, and spending a moment in the pitch black of the solitary confinement cell, will be certain to send a chill up your spine.