Richmond Gaol

Richmond Gaol is the oldest intact gaol in Australia, located just a 20-minute drive north-east of Hobart. The Gaol was built in 1825 and is one of the best preserved convict structures still existing in Tasmania. You can step inside a solitary confinement cell measuring just one by two metres (6x3 feet). One of the Gaol's most infamous inmates was English convict, Ikey Solomon, said to be the model for Charles Dicken's character Fagin in Oliver Twist. You'll see chain-gang sleeping rooms, the flogging yards, the cook house and holding rooms, all with historical relics and documents to bring the convict past to life. The gaol is open daily from 0900 to 1700 (closed Christmas Day).