Old Melbourne Gaol

Yeah.

I do know, like, even down at Old Melbourne Gaol-

Yeah

...

But while there's color and novelty, there's also a grim countdown underway.

Just a few hundred yards from the Melbourne Exhibition building, in a smaller, darker, and far grimmer space in Melbourne Jail, the outlaw Ned Kelly is less than a week from his date with the hangman.

The bushranger is to go to the gallows in a city celebrating just the sort of industry and innovation that might lead a man to make iron armor.

It's odd then that today Melbourne has a new attraction that invokes both Ned Kelly's famous suit and the exhibition's spirit of invention.

Now let's go somewhere completely different, Melbourne.

Old Melbourne Gaol is associated with one of Australia's most famous historical figures, Ned Kelly.

He was imprisoned and executed there in 1880.

Today, the former gaol is a museum where you can learn about prisoners, crime, and justice.

"In 1980, Australia celebrated the cent- the century-old death of a bank robber and murderer.

Edward Kelly, Ned, hanged in Melbourne Gaol on November the 11th, 1880, came at the end of a long tradition of Australian bushrangers who attained the status of folk hero, but he was the only one who transcended such localized fame to become Australia's sole national hero." Sole national hero.

Wow.

Our only national hero.

But the other three people were arrested.

So Ellen Kelly, who hit Fitzpatrick with the shovel, was sentenced to three years hard labour in Melbourne jail.

And Williamson and Skilling were given six years with hard labour each, even though they hadn't done anything at the scene at all.

So now you have a situation where Ned is aged 23 and Dan is 17.

So there was a 12-hour shootout.

Ned was the only gang member to survive.

He was severely wounded by police fire, but he was captured and brought to Melbourne Jail.

where he was left in the hospital wing for over four weeks.

Yep.

He was hanged in Melbourne jail.

Wow.

He was.

That's a bit of fun, 1879.

I mean, who doesn't love a bit of that gear? Are you telling me on this day in 1880 that Ned Kelly was hanged at the Melbourne Gaol? I just-- I don't, I, I don't...

I don't know if this is true.

Well, let's...

So there are businesses set up around this idea selling souvenirs and things.

And for interest's sake, if you'd like to know, some of the other dark tourism spots in Australia are the old Melbourne Jail where Ned Kelly was hanged-

Mm

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