All locked up: Our Pentridge staycation
We’re in a former prison cell, sipping a pinot noir selected from ‘The Book of Wine’. The light is dim, but that’s not a concern. It’s still bright enough to read the menu and order our oysters, sourdough, steaks, brussel sprouts and a hefty helping of fries.
What type of lock-up is this, you may well ask?
It’s Olivine wine bar, together with Adina, The Interlude and Chapter Place convention centre that round out the lifestyle offering, within the solid bluestone walls of Melbourne’s former B Division. A series of cells have been interconnected and imaginatively refurbished and now we sit on a bottle green velvet banquette, toasting each other and our good fortune to enjoy this unique experience.
Staying at Pentridge Prison
It’s ironic how cosy and comfortable we are, given the history and notoriety of the prison which occupied this site for nearly 150 years. And our visit goes well beyond a hotel stay. We feel privileged to enjoy drinks and dinner on a Friday night, breakfast in the Mess Hall on Saturday morning and later in the morning join the guided National Trust tour of the former H Division. Not to mention the luxurious sleepover in a King suite on the 9th floor of the Adina hotel, with a 180-degree view, stretching as far as the eye can see.
We arrive late afternoon Friday, just in time to enjoy the splendour of the sunset on one of Melbourne’s shortest winter days. From the ninth floor balcony we can see for miles both north, south and west, along Sydney Road.
From road gang to gaol
And Sydney Road is where the story of the former prison starts. Back in 1850, authorities identified the need for a better road through the suburb of Pentridge and north to Sydney. Construction of this new ‘Sydney’ road began with 16 prisoners, mainly from Van Diemen’s Land, taken by horse drawn wagon from the (old) Melbourne Gaol to live in a stockade near the proposed road works. Their days were spent breaking the bluestone into rubble, their nights locked in moveable wooden huts.
Frequent escape attempts exacerbated the need for more permanent housing for the increasing number of road builder/prisoners. So they now also broke the bluestone (quarried where Coburg Lake now sits) to create the walls we see today. In the years that followed a population of 1000-2000 men, women and children would be incarcerated within.
Over time – and certainly in my childhood – the name Pentridge became synonymous with crime and brutality. It was home to many notorious criminals including Ned Kelly, Chopper Reid and Julian Knight – and where the last person to be executed in Australia, Ronald Ryan, was hanged in 1967.
It was also where juvenile delinquents were ‘schooled’ into hardened criminals, earning the prison the name of ‘Bluestone College’. But fortunately, times change and the need for more humane, less punitive treatment of the prison population was recognised. Fairlea, a new female-only prison was opened in 1956, and male maximum security detention was moved to Barwon Prison in 1994.
A new chapter for Pentridge
Finally, on the first day of May in 1996 HM Prison Pentridge closed its doors for the last time. Over the following years most of the buildings fell into disrepair and this vital part of Melbourne’s heritage would have been lost had it not been purchased by the Shayer Group in 2013. Thus began the second chapter for Pentridge – as a meticulously restored historical site and a vibrant neighbourhood and tourist destination. As part of the agreement to redevelop the site, the Shayer Group committed to restoring much of the heritage structure and creating a space where stories of the past would be honoured.
With a thriving community hub already in place, work continues on this redevelopment. The Adina Interlude suites, and Adina Apartment Hotel offers accommodation with residential apartments on higher floors. The shopping centre has a Richie’s supermarket, the BrewDog Brewery, a Palace Cinema complex and green walkways leading to the Pentridge Piazza.
But it’s not just about amenities. This sensitive redevelopment includes memories of all those who passed through the front gates, not just the inmates, with stone markers celebrating the bakers, clergymen, blacksmiths and laundry women from times past.
Inside H Division
Our National Trust tour starts at 11am in the former Chief Warden’s residence. The 90-minute guided tour begins with a walk around A Division and a brief history of the establishment of the prison and the daily routines for those locked within.
We then head to the notorious ‘H’ – or Hell – Division. Who knew a letter of the alphabet could sound so forbidding? This section of the gaol was created to house the most recalcitrant prisoners, particularly those who had attempted escape or to harm a prison officer. Here we’re given headphones and iPads to listen to first-person stories of how it felt to be ‘inside’ and the ways the inmates survived their incarceration.
Growing up in Melbourne in the 50s and 60s the word Pentridge held a lot of terror.
It’s unlikely you, dear reader, will ever be imprisoned (just one fifth of one percent of Australians are in a gaol right now). And it’s guaranteed that you will not experience the harsh conditions and brutality that was the lot of H Division inmates if you ever did end up on the wrong side of the law. But most of us remain curious about what this was like.
Full credit to the developer, the archivists, the architects and the team at Adina. An overnight stay within the Pentridge precinct now offers a deep dive into Melbourne’s colourful history and a way to honour our recent past while looking to the future. It’s a stunning example of the way older buildings can be repurposed both thoughtfully and stylishly, to create a thriving neighbourhood for generations to come.
A word about accommodation
Both The Interlude Suites and apartment-style Adina Hotel offer a great staycation in Melbourne for those seeking adventures on their own doorstep.
The Interlude
These are the 19 immersive suites created by joining bluestone cells in the former B Division.
Prices at time of writing, from $343 per night. These premium suites are a very deliberate design response to change somewhere that you couldn’t leave to one where visitors don’t
want to check out. In a space where separate four cells once existed, you’re now welcomed into a colourful, cosy suite.
Adina Hotel
Also in B Division, this hotel sits on the corner of the old Pentridge complex, offering 106 one or two-bedroom suites. The ground floor remains true to the former architecture with cells here used imaginatively for the Olivine wine bar. An adjacent dining space in the old Mess Hall serves breakfast and hosts private functions. In the reception area a warm colour palette and contemporary art relieve the austere structure, while a bank of bikes promises neighbourhood adventures for guests who love to cycle. Apartments are generously proportioned, cosily furnished with well-appointed kitchens for those who prefer to dine in.
Rooms from $200 at the time of writing.
Need to know
There are both day and night tours of the former prison. But nothing compares with staying in the precinct and exploring this extraordinary gothic complex at your leisure. Here’s a link to the whole precinct to help you plan your stay.
David & Kaye stayed as guests of TFE Hotels
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