Boo: Heritage prison set to reopen after years of closure
One of the state’s oldest prisons will reopen to tourists – and ghost hunters – after being locked up for four years.
The state heritage-listed Gladstone Gaol, once an internment camp for Nazi sympathisers in World War II, is set to open its doors after being closed to the public since 2022.
Located 200km north of Adelaide, Gladstone Gaol was built in 1879 before its first prisoner, a 17-year-old man sentenced for larceny, was jailed in 1881.
The site has been vacant since June 2022 following the retirement of the former caretakers, with the small Mid North town having seen a dip in the number of visitors stopping by.
Lantern Ghost Tours Enterprises, which operates tours at the Adelaide Gaol, has been named the new operator of the site, with historical tours, accommodation and a café planned.
Ghost tours and escape rooms have also been flagged for the future of the site – believed to be haunted – which was set to reopen later this year.
Gladstone Community Development and Tourism Association president David Catford told InDaily the reopening of the site would mark a “positive step for tourism” in the southern Flinders Ranges region.
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“We want to see the site utilised to its full extent, it’s a big historic site that has been lying vacant and empty for way too long,” Catford said.
“It’s going to help Gladstone, of course, but it’s going to help the broader community.
“A lot of people are coming through the area on the way to the Flinders Ranges in caravans, and I think the Gaol could be a real focus for the region and get people to stop.”
Catford said there was a “hunger” from both locals and tourists to learn about the site’s dark history, with hundreds of visitors flocking to the site during last year’s open day exhibition.
“So many people want to have a look and hear the stories of what happened to our naughty forebears,” he said.
“We hope that this will bring some extra economic activity. People may then want to move to the area, open shops and be part of our community and help us be sustainable because that’s the bottom line.”
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Member for Stuart Geoff Brock, who advocated for the Gaol’s reopening, said he was “very grateful” that the site would be restored.
“This will be a fantastic tourist attraction with great outcomes, not only for the local community, but the wider region as well,” Brock said.
Gladstone Gaol remained active between 1881 and 1939, before being transformed into an internment camp for German and Italian internees during World War II. The main tower was also used by residents as an air raid military lookout spot during the war.
From 1943 until 1952, the jail was left unused before reopening to male-only first-time offenders aged between 18 and 25 years old.
Final prisoners were transferred to the Cadell Training Centre or Port Augusta Gaol in July 1975, with Gladstone officially shutting its doors on December 31, 1975.
After its closure, the site was open to the public for tours and community use and was even the filming location for the 1980 Australian action film Stir.
In 1985, the Gladstone Gaol was listed as a State Heritage Place for its “rare and intact” 19th-century penal architecture.
Since then, the Gladstone Gaol has been owned by the South Australian Department for Environment and Water, which ran the expression of interest campaign to get the site back in operation.
During its closure, the state government funded works to install new roofing, stormwater systems and ceiling, floor, and veranda repairs.
Lantern Ghost Tours founder Jacqueline Travaglia said plans for the site would “continue to be refined” while the company works closely with the local community
“Gladstone Gaol holds a powerful place in South Australia’s history, and our vision is to respectfully bring it back to life through immersive tours, unique accommodation and a welcoming café experience, subject to ongoing consultation and further discussions with key stakeholders,” she said.
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