The Gladstone Gaol is a heritage listed building, accessed from Ward Street at the northern end of town. It was built between 1879-81 at a cost of £21,640. The slate was quarried at Mintaro and was transported by bullock drays.
The gaol was originally used for ‘inebriates and debtors’. From the time of its opening until the 1920’s it never housed more than 86 prisoners.
It was a gaol for men and women. During World War II it was used as an internment camp for Italians and Germans. It remained unused between 1943 and 1953, when it became a corrective training complex for 18-25-year-old offenders. There were only 26 escapes in the gaol’s 100 year history.
Following extensions in 1955, the complex increased to 125 cells. In 1969 130 prisoners were housed with up to 20 transfers each day.
The gaol was eventually closed down in 1975 and opened to visitors in 1978. Now you can wander through ‘B & C’ wings to see where scenes were shot for the film ‘Stir’, and the gaol is a ‘must see’ for travellers and visitors to the Southern Flinders Ranges.