Opened in September 1883, the Fannie Bay Gaol was Darwin’s main prison for almost 100 years until 1979, when prisoners were relocated to the correctional facility located in Berrimah.
An infirmary was added in 1887, which contained gallows used up until the last executions held in the Northern Territory in 1952.
Male and female prisoners were held in separate buildings from 1928. The female prison block included a small garden designed to keep the prisoners busy.
A watch tower, “native section” for Aboriginal prisoners, kitchen mess building, remand section and two maximum security wings were added during the 1950s.
Now an important historic site, Fannie Bay Gaol attracts thousands of visitors each year.