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Sandhurst Gaol Tour
4.4
7 reviewsAbout
Bendigo's Ulumbarra Theatre rises majestically from within what was once the Sandhurst Gaol. Discover the symbiotic fusion between 1860s penitentiary architecture and clever contemporary design to create an extraordinary arts and community facility. Knowledgeable guides share the stories of inhabitants old and new, while exploring this world class performance facility.
Ulumbarra, meaning gather together in the language of the Dja Dja Wurrung people, is representative of the role the site has played over time; from an indigenous meeting place, to the original Government Camp, later the Sandhurst Gaol and now a magnificent theatre.
Constructed in the early 1860s, the gaol was based on the Pentonville prison model where the wings radiate from a central tower, now the symbiotic link between the heritage and contemporary architecture. your guide will explore spaces throughout this extraordinary arts and community facility, telling the tales that once remained behind the walls.
Transformed in 2015 into a state-of-the-art performance and event space including world class production capabilities it is now truly a place for all to experience.
Join the passionate guides who will take you through an interactive experience that shares the amazing stories that this significant site has to tell.
What's Available
5 featuresRegional Tourist/Tourism Association/Organisation
Available Tours
Sandhurst Gaol Tour
Bendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre rises majestically from within what was once the Sandhurst Gaol. Discover the symbiotic fusion between 1860s penitentiary architecture and clever contemporary design to create an extraordinary arts and community facility. Your guide will explore space throughout this extraordinary arts and community facility, telling the tales that once remained behind the walls. Sandhurst Gaol Tours will operate regularly Tuesdays at 11:00am and Sundays at 2:00pm.
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Reviews & Ratings
V K
Google review
I've never seen prison premises turned into school and its main prison building turned into a theater, yet it worked perfectly fine in Bendigo, creating a true eclectical architectural masterpiece!
Josh Miller
Google review
Sandhurst Gaol Tour and Bendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre Tour (combined). Interesting and informative tour. 1 hour duration, so good amount of time to soak up the information. Would recommend! Side note: enter through Ulumbarra Theatre entrance 🙂
Rebecca Camellia
Google review
We did the gaol tour on New Year’s Eve and it was an amazing experience. The tour guide was super friendly and informative. We had a fun time.
Amity Cartwright
Google review
Our group was keen to learn about the jail and the first 10mins was promising. However, there was a lot more content about the theatre (it’s use for private events, its capacity, the acoustics etc) than the jail and its history so in some respects being sold as a tour of the jail is a bit misrepresented. There were areas that looked intriguing, like the underground tunnel and second level cells, that were not part of the tour yet our group paused to see the stage area. Our tour guide was lovely but the way the tour is presented online isn’t accurate and there are things about how the space is presented physically that are not great - understandably there is construction and maintenance but surely there is somewhere better for scaffold than on former prisoners graves in the prison yard? We are glad it’s not expensive as it’s not what we expected.
Beverly Kent
Google review
Interesting building with lots of history. Great how they linked the old building with the new one. Thanks for all the information Michael.
Get in touch
Where you'll be
Gaol Road
Bendigo VIC 3550