Berrima Correctional Centre is an Australian female prison located at Berrima, New South Wales, Australia. Berrima Gaol is the oldest gaol still in operation in Australia.
The gaol was built of local sandstone between 1836 and 1839. Much of the building work was done by convicts in irons.
In the nineteenth century, conditions at the gaol were harsh, prisoners spent most of their days in cells and the only light was through a small grate set in th...
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Berrima Correctional Centre is an Australian female prison located at Berrima, New South Wales, Australia. Berrima Gaol is the oldest gaol still in operation in Australia.
The gaol was built of local sandstone between 1836 and 1839. Much of the building work was done by convicts in irons.
In the nineteenth century, conditions at the gaol were harsh, prisoners spent most of their days in cells and the only light was through a small grate set in the door. In 1866 the gaol was renovated to the standards described by the prison reform movement for a “model prison”. However, Berrima gaol had solitary confinement cells which measured 8 feet by 5 feet, some smaller, where it was intended that all prisoners spent one year. In 1877 a Royal Commission was held to investigate allegations of cruelty by the prison authorities but the complaints were not upheld.
One of the notable trials held in the nearby Berrima Court House was that of Lucretia Dunkley and her lover Martin Beech. Both were both...
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