The Old Castlemaine Gaol Announces Halloween Ghost Tours

First opened in 1861, by the time it closed its doors in 1990 the Old Castlemaine Gaol had been a home for the insane, a reformatory school for boys, a hospital and a prison for the guilty, as well as the innocent.

The story of David Young, the first man hung at the OCG in 1865, is to this day still shrouded in mystery and doubt, and just one of the terrible tales of life inside a prison described by one inmate simply as "Hell".

The OCG is observing the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) with one-of-a-kind Ghost Tours and participating in the International Day of Ghost Hunting.

Straddling the line between winter and spring, poverty and plenty, death and life, October is a time of celebration and superstition. While the southern hemisphere is only now starting to be embrace these century old traditions, with a 150 year history filled with stories of murder, death and false imprisonment, this is one month the Old Castlemaine Gaol could ignore, especially since for 10 men the OCG was their place of execution, and their place of final rest.

On October 1st, the OCG played its part in an International Ghost Hunting Day. Timed to coincide with up to 85 other teams worldwide the ghost hunt was streamed live to Paranormal Headquarters aboard the Queen Mary in California, USA.

On October 28th and 31st, the Gaol is offering people the chance follow in the footsteps of the condemned as they walk to the hangman's noose four meters above the concrete floor below. They will hear tales of William Bamford the OCG's most famous hangman, before descending into the bowels of the Gaol itself to sit alone in the isolation cells buried deep in the Gaols granite heart.

"Children under 12 must be with a guardian" the OCG Events Manager Gayle McClure said. "There is something here that is drawn to young children. So now we say that any underage children are welcome, but it is at the parent's risk. I've personally had some rather unpleasant experiences throughout the Gaol as well as a few simply annoying ones - one ghost just loves shutting doors on me, while another will scream in my ear whenever I approach his cell. We all accept that it is part and parcel of working in a building that has such a rich history."

There are two Ghost tours available
Halloween Tour - Saturday 28th October
All Hallows Eve Tour - Tuesday 31st October
Tours are $30 + Booking Fee with Dinner and Drink packages also available.

Tickets to all the tours are available at the door, at the OCG office and at www.oldcastlemainegaol.com.au/whats-on.

RECENT HISTORY OF THE GAOL
In 2012 the Old Castlemaine Gaol was purchased by three local families in the hope of keeping this vital piece of local history alive. In 2014 they opened an onsite Cafe which is also used as a Gallery Space for local artists.

They have also turned the Main Cell Block into one of Victoria's most distinctive Live Music Venues with a regular program of national and International Artists playing 'behind the bars'.

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