The Vagabond at Pentridge Prison Tours
Established in 1851 and closing in 1997, Pentridge Prison is a heritage listed former state prison that has undergone adaptive reuse over the last decade.
Our education programs utilise the latest in immersive technologies, including soundscapes and audio-visual displays. Students will hear recorded interviews with past inmates, guards and lawyers and can observe artefacts dating from the early 1800s to late 1900s.
The Education programs at Pentridge Prison provide a unique opportunity to move beyond the theoretical approach to learning and gives the students the chance to experience the setting and implications of social, economic and environmental change borne from our evolving legal system.
About the Program
John Stanley James (1843-1896) was a writer and a scoundrel, known as “the Vagabond” by his readers. His writings sought to illuminate the conditions of the working class, by living amongst them in slums, and famously within Pentridge Prison. The public were shocked by his revelations, as his readers often lived lives very far removed from those of the inmates behind the bluestone walls. In this hands-on excursion program, students are guided through Pentridge Prison, uncovering the conditions of prison life, and have the chance to record footage on their devices. Students step into the shoes of the Vagabond to develop their own report and share the truths from the inside!
Curriculum Links
| Subject | Strand | Sub-strand | Content descriptions | Students will… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| History | Historical concepts and skills | Chronology | Sequence significant events, developments and the lives of individuals chronologically to describe continuity and change, and causes and consequences VC2HH6S02 | Develop a timeline of key dates relating to Pentridge Prison. |
| Continuity and Change | Describe patterns of continuity and change VC2HH6S07 | Hear how prison conditions evolved over time. | ||
| Historical Questions | Ask and develop historical questions to direct historical investigations VC2HH6S01 | Develop a questions to support their investigation. | ||
| Historical knowledge | Australia 1800-1900 | The impacts of the development of colonies on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, local-born colonists and migrants, and on the environment VC2HH6K02 | Uncover the changes in the wider world between 1851 and 1900 and how they impacted prisoner life. | |
| Civics and Citizenship | Laws and Citizens | how and why laws are enforced and the roles and responsibilities of key institutions, such as the police, courts and other parts of the legal system VC2HC6K04 | Learn differences between rules and laws, and how laws work to suport people. | |
| English | Literacy | Interacting with others | use interaction skills including paraphrasing and questioning to clarify meaning, make connections to personal experience or to a text, and present and justify an opinion or idea VC2E5LY01 | Interact with each other and with their guide to develop an understanding of key content, relating historical stories and experiences to their own lives. |
Program Details
Monday to Friday during school terms
1.5 hours
15-30 students per session
Teacher/carer:student ratio: 1:12
$12 per student
Click here to access the Task Risk Assessment document.
Ramps can be used to access the airing yards.
To book, complete the Online Booking Form. For enquiries, email [email protected] or phone (03) 9656 9889.
Pentridge Prison Tours
1 Champ Street
Coburg VIC 3058
I highly recommend taking your students to Pentridge. The stories are gripping and to listen to them in such a historical place was a real treat.
Related Programs
-
3D Interactive Court Room
Try visiting the interactive Court Room to get an idea of how a court works.
-
Crime and Punishment
Uncover past punishments in this tour of the Old Melbourne Gaol. Discuss corporal punishments such as the cane and the infamous cat-o-nine-tails; solitary confinement, and capital punishment.
-
Crime and Punishment
Join your guide for a tour of the notorious H Division to learn about the “prison within a prison” which housed the most dangerous inmates at Pentridge from the 1950s through to the 1980s.