Travel blog: Night tour of Perth Prison
Sunday, 15, Mar 2009 12:00
Richard Aylen is swapping the daily routine of an 8-5 London lifestyle for a 24-7 cross continent trip taking in Africa, south-east Asia and Australasia. From Cape Town to the Cook Islands via Chiang Mai and Christchurch, his trip will take him from the capital of the UK and deep into backpacker territory. This is his twelfth blog:
A terrifying scream pierced the darkness leaving the smaller yelps of frightened tourists to fade into silence. The only noise was the dull thud of a male corpse hitting the net above them a few seconds later.
Fortunately the male corpse was never even alive but rather a fake body pushed from the third floor of the balcony outside a row of cells in Fremantle Prison. And the screams? Well they were only a temporary reaction to the spooky antics of staff running the night-time tour of the famous Perth prison.
Built by convicts sent over from Britain, the prison's closure in 1991 marked the end of its 136 years history. It took eight years from 1852 to 1860 for the convicts to construct the limestone structures. Tourists have been able to visit the historic buildings for over 15 years and several tours are offered.
Daytime tours, tunnel tours and the infamous ghostly night-time tour are all available each offering a different experience.
Night-time tour of Perth Prison
Guiding visitors through the maze of courtyards and cells, the torchlight tour was a spooky affair that offered both excitement and information for $23 (£10). Tour guide Sharon led a group of about 15 through the dark passage ways as the ocean wind whistled through the prison.
Creating a chilling atmosphere, the noisy breeze was accompanied by the usual collection of ghostly tricks employed on such tours.
The 'dead' body, which was a supposed suicide attempt, (apparently a regular occurrence among prisoners) was not the only dark surprise waiting around the jail. As the flashlights moved into the solitary confinement block another shock was in store. With the lights dimmed low and stories of lonely men serving time in solitude were told a lone prisoner, fully clad in period costume, burst through the solid oak wooden doors that lined the walls of the block.
The bearded convict snarled his way through the group attempting to grab ladies' handbags before being ushered back into his cell. Unlike Steve McQueen he was never lucky enough to have toys such as a baseball and glove to pass his lonely hours.
Journey to the whipping post
Sharon increased the frightened mood with further ghost stories of faces appearing at windows, footsteps heard in the dead of night and children waving to invisible people. Leading on to the whipping post, which struck a daunting pose under the moonlight, Sharon described how prisoners were often punished with lashings from the cat of nine tails.
The group was encouraged to take snaps around the whipping post in the hope that ghostly 'orbs' would appear on the screens of their digital cameras.
The gallows were the next stop and time for Sharon to recall a haunting story about the only female prisoner, Martha Rendell, to be hanged in Fremantle. The prison's gallows were used from 1888 until 1984 although the final execution was in 1964. Visitors can still see the noose hanging over the trap door where the executioner would release the floor.
A horse was positioned bellow the gallows to cart away the deceased prisoners.
More ghost stories were told before the flashlights moved on through the prison past rows of cells painted with incredible murals. But the darker side of the prison's history came through in 1988 when a fire and riot saw some prison officers taken hostage in a bid to improve their living conditions.
Although the authorities crushed the riot within a few days, inmates injured some of the hostages.
The final stop was a trip to the prison chapel where convicts were sectioned into groups. Boys would sit with men while the sexual offenders were closed in a caged room. The women were also in their own quarters in a gallery overlooking the chapel. Lined with plain glass windows, the chapel was a modest design and the only image appearing in its pain was that of the infamous Rendell. On an anniversary of her hanging a terrifying image of the woman who was convicted of killing her husband's son was said to have appeared in the glass.
The flashlights swung towards the windows in the hope of illuminating a glimpse of the haunted face leaving an eerie silence as the group peered at the glass. As most struggled to see anything, the silence was broken by the slam of a heavy wooden door in the chapel. The final surprise of the tour was underway.
Scared and haunted by the ghouls and ghosts of Fremantle, the group was ready to go home and leave at least some of the surprises between themselves.
Richard Aylen