Pentridge Prison Tours

As part of his Father’s Day gift, I treated my dad to a National Trust Tour of H Block — Dad is a history buff and had never before visited Pentridge. The guide for our tour was friendly and knowledgeable, having grown up in the area. A very small group of us started at 2:30pm — I expect they get bigger groups for their night tours. After showing us around Pentridge and explaining the history of the main parts of the prison, we went into H Block. Here, we were given headsets to self-guide. Each cell had a different story, including recordings made by people who actually attended H Block as prisoners, guards, chaplains or lawyers. It was fascinating as well as horrifying. We learned it had been kept secret from the public that some of the most egregious physical and mental torture still occurred there as late as the 1990s. Dad also enjoyed the Pentridge history gallery near Palace Cinema, which provides an overview of the history of the prison. This is available all the time for free, without a tour. It was very convenient to park in the shopping centre, which is free for several hours. Champ Street is a little closer to the start of the tours, but there are limited spots as they are often used by tradies working nearby.

Stopped in for the H division tour, while at first I was concerned that it would be quite gimmicky, once into the block, it definitely levelled up. The block was fitted with great audio stories that follow you as you move throughout the cells. The stories were interesting and it was quite unreal to hear what happened behind closed doors. Good length of tour and interesting.

Awesome tour. Interesting history and I learnt a lot. The mix between guided and self guided parts of the tour was great and meant I could take my time through H division and visit exhibits multiple times if I wanted to. I only wish there was more of the original prison left to tour.

Fantastic place; you get told a lot of great stories. I definitely recommend doing the night tour with Luigi he gave us great knowledge and history and was an awesome tour guide.

Damien and Austin made the Pentridge Prison tour unforgettable. Very knowledgeable, engaging, and shared great stories. Highly recommend for anyone interested in history and learn about the stories and some very interesting facts about this prison which was home to the last execution in Australia. Great Date night idea as well ++++ Something unique and adventurous than same old boring dates. Thank you

Absolutely amazing tour, not only from a historical perspective, but an informative one also. Thoroughly enjoyed the stories from prisoners past and having the ability to walk around and take your time looking at the place. Glad they have retained many of the original fittings and fixtures and haven't modernised the entirety of the old girl. Well worth your time. If you get the opportunity to come back and walk around at night, make sure you do so. The Adina Apartments which are on the old grounds of Pentridge is well worth your stay. You won't be disappointed.

Damian and George did our tour. Damian gave an excellent sensitive presentation and I felt like he really honoured the memory of those who we were unfortunate enough to have experienced Pentridge. I also respected his historical knowledge and enjoyed the way he brought meaning to the environment with stories and facts. I was totally engaged for the full 90mins - thank you for the passion you have for your job Damian - it really made our evening special !

I loved experiencing being immersed in stories of what took place within the confines of Pentrige Prison. It actually made me quite sad rather than horrified to listen to, especially with current events taking place in the world right now. My favourite part by far, was Damien, our tour guide. Despite a lot happening in his personal life, and only just recently returning to work, he gave us an amazingly informative presentation with witty delivery and impeccable transitions. He is great at what he does. Thank you for your consistent acknowledgement of the Aboriginal people and victim survivors who often aren't represented.