Victorian Gaols:

Old Castlemaine Gaol : A functional working prison from April 1861 - 22nd June 1990. Now open for tours and as a function centre.

Fairlea Women's Prison : A functional working prison from 9th March 1956 - 30 August 1996. Darebin Libraries. 

Military History and Heritage Victoria Inc - Williamstown Battery, Fort Gellibrand : Fort Gellibrand is of historical importance to Victoria for its association with the development of defence strategies for the colony in the nineteenth century, and for its association with the convict hulk period of the penal system in the colony. 

J. Ward Museum Ararat Gaol : Ararat Gaol was a functional gaol from 1862 - 23rd November 1886. The Ward was closed in 1991. J Ward is now a museum complex within the original prison structure dedicated to recording and preserving the history of the criminals imprisoned and hanged here during the life of the goldfields gaol and later as the infamous maximum security housing for Victoria's Criminally Insane men in a ward (J Ward) of the Ararat Mental Hospital.

 

Research Centres:

Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII) : Resource of Australian and international legal materials, including a law specific search engine, links, Australian cases, law and other legal matters.

Archival Access Victoria :  Archival Access Victoria is your link to the millions of records available at the Public Record Office of Victoria.

Trove : Trove helps you find and use resources relating to Australia. It's more than a search engine. Trove brings together content from libraries, museums, archives, repositories and other research and collecting organisations big and small.

Victorian Heritage Database : Search for information on Victorian heritage places, objects and precincts.

LINC Tasmania : Combined catalogue including all public libraries, the State Reference Service, the Tasmaniana and Crowther Libraries, the Allport Library and Museum.

Queensland State Archives : Queensland State Archives (QSA) holds permanent records of enduring historical value for the Queensland Government.  At QSA you can find Gaol records—such as letters, reports, telegrams, photographs, maps, architectural drawings and prison registers created by various Queensland Government agencies.

Female Convicts Research Centre Inc. : The Female Convicts Research Centre promotes interest in the female convicts of Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), by encouraging and facilitating research. From 1803 to 1853, 12,500 female convicts were transported to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), as punishment for crimes, mainly theft. After serving their sentences they were released into the community. Their transportation left a lasting legacy.

State Records Office of West Australia : The State Records Office (SRO) of Western Australia aims to provide easy and effective access for our clients, the community of Western Australia, to the wealth of historical material created by State and Colonial Governments, as well as by Local Government authorities, that is contained within the State Records Office's collection.

State Records of South Australia : State Records is the official custodian for archival records created by State and Local Government agencies within South Australia.

Immigration Museum : The Immigration Museum is a museum primarily displaying Australia's immigration history.

Australian Dictionary of Biography : The Australian Dictionary of Biography is Australia's pre-eminent dictionary of national biography. In it you will find concise, informative and fascinating descriptions of the lives of over 12,000 significant and representative persons in Australian history.

Public Records Office of Victoria : Public Record Office Victoria holds an extraordinary array of records created by the Victorian Government from the mid-1830s to now.

Australian Executions 1870-1968 : The details of the men and women hanged between 1870 and 1899 together with the 135 men and two women hanged between 1900 and 1967. 

 

Historic Sites Australia:

Port Arthur Historic Site : World Heritage listed Port Arthur Historic Site is the best preserved convict site in Australia, and among the most significant convict era sites worldwide.

Port Arthur Research : The Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority can assist you with research into Tasmanian convicts – whether or not the convict came to Port Arthur. We can also assist in researching non-convicts who had a relationship with Port Arthur or the Tasman Peninsula, for example a Medical Officer, Commandant or Overseer.

Cascades Female Factory : The World Heritage-listed Cascades Female Factory is Australia's most significant historic site associated with female convicts.

Coal Mines Historic Site : The Coal Mines Historic Site near Port Arthur was Tasmania's first operational mine, as well as a place of punishment for the 'worst class' of convicts.

Fremantle Prison : Fremantle Prison, sometimes referred to as Fremantle Gaol or Fremantle Jail, is a former Australian prison and World Heritage Site in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Norfolk Island Museum : The Norfolk Island Museum reveals to you Norfolk's amazing and multi-layered stories. Famous for its colourful history, the island was first settled by Polynesians, then in 1788 by the British who later made it a convict hellhole. Since 1856 it has been home to the descendants of the Bounty mutineers.

Old Darlinghurst Gaol :  The old Darlinghurst gaol is one of Sydney's oldest and best preserved examples of colonial sandstone architecture, which over the last two centuries has transformed from a place of abject misery to one of Australia's premier arts institutes.

Parramatta Gaol : Parramatta Gaol is considered one of Australia’s more important historical sites. Constructed between 1835-1842, it was, until it’s closure in 2011, Australia’s oldest serving gaol.

Old Dubbo Gaol : Old Dubbo Gaol is a state heritage listed must see. This remarkably complete and intact gaol operated for 119 years from 1847 to 1966 and is still nestled in the main street of Dubbo. This set of 19th and 20th century gaol buildings create a pocket in time, and the experiences within brings history to life.

Boggo Road Gaol : Named after the road which led to it, that became a boggy quagmire after rain, “Boggo Road Gaol” was officially known as the Brisbane Prison. For 109 years it dominated the skyline of the capital of Queensland. It’s stark red brick walls, and imposing guard tower on Annerley Road have become iconic for all the wrong reasons. 

 

International: 

National Archives of England : The National Archives is the official archive and publisher for the UK government and for England and Wales.

The British Museum : The British Museum is dedicated to human history, art and culture and is located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection, numbering some 8 million works, is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence and originates from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present.

National Records of Scotland : Our purpose is to collect, preserve and produce information about Scotland's people and history and make it available to inform current and future generations.

National Archives of Ireland : The National Archives of Ireland hold the historic records for the administration of the Irish State including census, wills, prison and court records.

Capital Punishment UK : The death penalty in Britain . Execution methods explained. Listing of all U.K. executions from 1735 - 1964. Places of execution. Individual capital cases examined.

 

Historical Societies: 

Royal Australian Historical Society : The Royal Australian Historical Society (RAHS), Australia’s oldest historical organisation founded in Sydney in 1901, promotes the study of Australian history. The Society organises events, produces publications and provides research advice and support to its membership network of individuals and local historical societies, with a particular focus on New South Wales local and community history. Based at History House, 133 Macquarie Street, Sydney, our library contains a valuable research collection of more than 60,000 items on Australian history. Victorian Community History Awards 2017. 2017 History Awards Finalists

Royal Historical Society of Victoria : The mission of the Society is to promote among our members, member societies, and the wider public, an interest in and understanding of Australian history, with a focus on the Victorian experience, to act as the peak body on behalf of local and specialist historical societies throughout Victoria, and as the historical society for central Melbourne.

 

The listing of websites on this page, have consented in writing to be published on hmgaolbeechworth.