MAITLAND GAOL
LOCATION:
John Street
Maitland East, NSW 2323
AUSTRALIA
Phone: 02 4936 6610
Fax: 02 4936 6614
For information on tours etc please visit their website:
Date: 21st July, 2001
Participants:
Rowena Gilbert (AGHS)
Debbie Malone (Spiritualist Medium)
Darren Croese (AGHS)
Other assorted members of the public
Film Crew
Equipment:
Pentax SLR SFX Camera/film
EMF Meter
Other photographic equipment
How haunted?: 
4 ghosts, very haunted - good chance of experiencing some paranormal activity.
Unfortunately the visit to Maitland Gaol was only a very short and quick one for me, I didn't have the opportunity to gather the research and information that I would have liked to but we hope for a further investigation later on.
Maitland Gaol, Located in Maitland (of course). 163km North of Sydney and approximately 32km North-West of Newcastle, New South Wales was opened on 1st January 1849, following the closure of Newcastle Gaol on 31st December, 1848.
The site was first built (the foundation stone was laid) in 1844. It's designer was colonial architect Mortimer Lewis, designer of the first Customs House in Sydney (left).
The design of the Gaol was based on English Gaols, local sandstone was brought in from nearby Morpeth and Farlye and used to construct it. The first 40 convicts arrived in 1848. Convicts were forced to walk from the nearby Steel town Newcastle after it's closure on 31st December, 1848. The prisoners were forced to walk to the gaol in shackles and chains.
Executions were carried out inside the gaol. Prisoners were hung at the control center in front of a gathered crowd of locals who would enjoy the spectacle of seeing a prisoner be executed.
Women and children were also housed in the Prison. One of the older blocks in the gaol held the women and their children together in terrible conditions of those times.
Conditions were indeed very harsh in the old gaol as the Prison was originally built to house only 150 prisoners. Eventually it became overcrowded with 300 prisoners. The prisoners mental and physical health suffered greatly and their anguish can sometimes still be heard echoing through the dark cells that remain to this day.
The Gaol was still open and in use until January 1998 and was considered one of the toughest gaols in Australia. This is due to it being a maximum security prison and housing some of the most dangerous criminals in Australia. The Australian Government closed it down after 
decreeing that it was no longer suitable for prisoners.
The security measures and old cells were no longer suitable to house such dangerous criminals such as Ivan Milat.
The cell blocks, cells and everything else appears as though the prisoners were there just a few minutes ago. You can easily take a daytime tour through the old gaol or experience a night time ghost tour with special Clairvoyant guides.
The gaol is regarded as one of Australia's Most haunted sites.
It's haunted history tells of dark figures seen wandering the cells at night, grabbing and pushing some unsuspecting tourists. Breathing down the backs of their necks, or scratching them. Psychics and other not so psychic people have a great deal of difficulty entering some of the cells and walking the grounds. Ghostly apparitions and strange noises including voices are often heard. The guides who take the night tours have had many a seriously spooky encounter.
Different people see different things, from ghostly apparitions, to hearing dominant male voices threatening and jeering at them to being pushed or touched by unseen forces. This place is not for the faint of heart at night!
Saturday the 21st July, 2001 a small interested group of us entered the prison at night. Some were amateur ghost hunters, some were experienced. Some had never been into a haunted site before. One part of the group were filming a documentary with Debbie Malone, psychic.
It's as if every cell contains it's own unhappy spirit inside
The entire gaol is built from sandstone and as you stroll around the yards and past the cells you can feel the presences of many looking out for the cells or perhaps watching from the guard towers. It's as if each cell has it's own unhappy presence inside tempting you to dare enter their domain. The spirits of Maitland are very unhappy and like to harass any person who can see them or feel them.
Upon entering the main cell block, my much loved and very reliable camera refused to work. I was unable to continue to take photos at night which was greatly disappointing. I managed to return the next day to take photos, and of course, my camera was now working.
THE CONTROL CENTER
The entrance, control center is where you will enter the Gaol. It also holds an artillery room where firearms and riot gear were stored. Public executions by hanging took place at the front gates of the control center until the 1860's. The tortured souls of the hung are said to still linger in this area. Noises of swinging ropes have been reported along with sightings of the hung bodies. The area is dark and dismal at night. You enter though the bars and walk into darkness wondering if you might come face to face with a lost soul of a prisoner, forever wanting to escape out between the bars on the front entrance.
When we stool outside the control center at night two of the clairvoyants with us claimed there were figures staring out from behind the bars, waiting for us to enter.
THE CHAPEL
Walking beyond the control center and heading inside the walls of Maitland Gaol, the first stop along the way is The Chapel.
Built in 1868 and serviced by Chaplains from various religions, it was compulsory for all prisoners to attend Church Services.
A - WING
Being the very oldest of Maitland's cell block this is where those very first convicts walked to, it's also held it's fair share of infamous prisoners such as the backpacker murderer Ivan Milat.
It contains a dark isolated cell known commonly as "The Black Hole". Prisoners were placed inside for punishment and forced to be in isolated darkness.
A- Wing contains cells where sweepers and painters would stay during the day to maintain it
B - WING
B- wing consists of three stories. All are separated by a metal security grate separating each level.
Originally starting operation from the bottom level in 1865 it was then completed in 1887.
Many of the most hated and feared criminals were housed here including sex offenders and lifers.
Over the years several escape attempts have been made from B-wing. At one stage a group of 5 - 6 prisoners hacked their way through bolts, cut through the wire grate and then, using a ladder made from their bed heads, climbed to the lower landing. They were fortunately stopped at the very front door.
Metal rings still remain attached to the walls in the exercise yard where convicts were once chained.
Bullet holes can still be seen in the wall near a side door exit. I was told they were from executions but since the gaol claims there were only executions by hanging I think they may be from something else.
5 WING
While some found the old cells in Block A to be haunted and spooky, I found these green doors with the florescent lights the spookiest.
Being the newest area of Maitland gaol it was constructed in 1993 at a very great expense of AUD$3.4 million. It was built to house some of the most vicious criminals. The inmates were placed in the individual cells with own private exercise yards out the back.
Being a place where such violent and demented criminals were locked up the feel to the place is very cold indeed. As you entered any of the cells a chill would strike you directly in the heart and you could almost feel their wickedness dripping off the walls
When I walked through this area at night I heard one of the tour guides tell how the doors will sometimes slam shut when they take a tour group through. As you may see by one of the photos above, the cell doors are made from very thick steel and not easy to move.
This was the area where my camera suddenly and unexpectedly stopped working. The above photo shows the cell where Ivan Milat was kept.
The same cells at night
LEAVING THE GAOL AT NIGHT
Unfortunately on this night, I had to depart the gaol on my own. I didn't know my way around very well and was given some vague directions how to get out.
To tell you the truth, I was more worried about the living than the dead as the main front gate had been left open.
I took off, trying to make sure I did not meet with anything black and shadowy that would follow me home. I looked up at the guard tower where dark figures have been seen standing.
Confronted by endless amounts of razor wire, gates made of steel and various sections that were all dully lit by the yellow lights I passed by the cell blocks that were pitch black inside and did not dare to enter any of them. For once my curiosity didn't get the better of me. It was almost as if there were ghostly arms waiting inside the doorways to grab me.............I walked faster, found the gate to the outside and escaped safely......PHEW!
When I reached my hotel I tried out my camera to see what was wrong with it as it had stopped working in 5 wing. It was once again happily working and has continued to do so ever since.
While I didn't not see or hear anything unusual, judging by the "feel" of the place and the vastly interesting ghost stories and encounters of others who have visited the gaol since its closure, I sincerely believe that Maitland Gaol is haunted.
The AGHS hopes to return to Maitland Gaol sometime in the near future to investigate this haunted site properly.
Rowena Gilbert
Australian Ghost Hunters Society
http://www.aghs.com.au
all images, information © AGHS/Castle of Spirits