Excursions

Adelaide Gaol Excursion

11 Jul, 2023

On July the 4th Room 8 and Room 9 had the opportunity to go to the Adelaide Gaol which is one of the most historic buildings in Adelaide. In HASS this term, we have been learning about convicts and the impacts of colonisation, so this excursion helped us learn more.

Room 9 left school at 9:00 while Room 8 left at 10:30. Both classes walked to the bus stop across the road from Tapleys Hill Road and took a 30-minute ride to Port Road. After we stopped, we walked to the Adelaide Gaol. We met our tour guide Lauri. He introduced the Gaol and how historic and amazing the building was. After we walked inside, we pretended to be convicts experiencing what it would have been like as someone in the Gaol. After a while we walked around, and we walked through halls. We got to look inside the cells where the prisoners stayed. We learnt about one of the most famous convicts, Elizabeth Walcock, who was the only female to be executed. We learnt what jobs the prisoners and convicts did while staying at the jail. We searched the museum where we could learn more about artefacts. After we paid our respects to the people who lost their lives we went through the graveyard and looked at all the names of people who died.

After we had our tour in the Adelaide Gaol we all walked to Bonython Park to have lunch and play.  Then we took the bus ride back to school and continued with our day. It was a really fun day. 

This is what some of the other students had to say about the excursion:
“On the excursion I learnt about the prisoners lives and their backstory’s. I mostly enjoyed looking through all the old rooms and how they used to have to live. The thing I found most interesting was how they would sneak things through to the prison in tennis balls.“– Annabelle 
“I learnt that the prisoners loved to work as bakers. I enjoyed looking around the Gaol the most. I found seeing the Gaol cells the most interesting.” – Lily 
“At the Adelaide Gaol, the part that I enjoyed most was the ‘gallery’ where they displayed all the contraband, hanging equipment, the blue Pj’s, and ankle chains. The part I found the most interesting was that our tour guide told us that blonde women experience paranormal activity when in a certain cell building. Even though I have been to the prison before, I still learnt new things.” – Anke 
“I learnt that kids at the age of 8 can still go to jail with the adults. What I found interesting was looking at the thoughts of the prisons because some were really dark and I felt bad for them. What I enjoyed most was going into the cells with jayron and trying to see if there’s any ghostly activity.” – Amir 
 
“I learned all about the prisoners in the Adelaide Gaol and I enjoyed seeing all the cells that the prisoners were in.” – Keighan
Written by Isla Ly