The Heavitree Gap Gaol was Central Australia’s first prison. It opened in a small wooden police hut at Heavitree Gap near Alice Springs in 1904. Two teenage boys were among the first prisoners to be committed to the Gaol. The Gaol closed in 1909 and was replaced by the purpose-built Stuart Town Gaol. The Heavitree…
The Alice Springs Gaol was the new name given to the Stuart Town Gaol in 1933 when the town of Stuart was officially renamed Alice Springs. Run by the government the Gaol housed male and female, adult and juvenile prisoners. In 1938 the Alice Springs Gaol was closed. It was replaced by HM Gaol and…
The Stuart Town Gaol was opened by the government in Alice Springs, then called Stuart, in 1909. It housed male and female, adult and juvenile prisoners. The Stuart Town Gaol became known as the Alice Springs Gaol in 1933 when the town of Stuart was officially renamed Alice Springs. The South Australian Government began building…
The Wildman River Wilderness Work Camp was established by the government in May 1986. It was a low security bush work camp for males aged 14 -18 who had been in lots of trouble with the law and was intended as an alternative to prison time. Residents and staff built the camp. By 1991 the…
Yirara College was established in Alice Springs in 1973 as a government secondary residential college. It accommodated Aboriginal students from remote areas who were studying at the College. In 1991 control of the College was taken over by the Finke River Mission of the Lutheran Church of Australia.
The Pine Creek Home, which had operated from 1931 to 1932, was reopened by the government in 1940 as a place for Aboriginal children who were being transferred from government institutions to various Missions. In late 1940, 70 children were in residence in the Home. Pine Creek Home only operated for a matter of months…
The Bagot Aboriginal Reserve was established in 1938. All the residents of the Kahlin Compound were moved to this new reserve in 1939. The Retta Dixon Home was located at Bagot Aboriginal Reserve. In the late 1970s the Bagot Aboriginal Reserve was handed over to Aboriginal custodians and became known as the Bagot Aboriginal Community….
The Darwin Correctional Centre at Berrimah in Darwin opened in 1979 to replace the Fannie Bay Gaol. It housed minimum and maximum security prisoners, sentenced and on remand. It had separate sections for young people and women. The number of young people accommodated decreased during the 1980s to 1990s. In 2013 Berrimah was scheduled to…
Her Majesty’s Gaol and Labour Prison, Alice Springs, opened in November 1938. Male and female prisoners were held in separate cell blocks. Until 1964 male prisoners were segregated by race. Records show that some young offenders were also detained. In 1996 all prisoners were transferred to the Alice Springs Correctional Centre at Owen Springs. Builders…
The Don Dale Juvenile Detention Centre which opened in 1991 was the first purpose built institution for young offenders in the Northern Territory. It provided secure accommodation for up to 25 boys and girls, aged between 10 and 16 or 17. The Centre replaced Giles House and Malak House, and took in young offenders from…
Dec 18, 2024
Nov 15, 2024
