Pentridge Prison H Division

Tutor/Leader: Tamara Guglielmi
Tutor 2: Marlene Cann
Location: Sunbury Station
Frequency: one off
Day:  Friday
Time: 9:15am
Finish: 3.00pm
Date:  9 May 2025
Capacity: 30

Pentridge Prison was opened in 1851. Originally built as a stockade for prisoners during the Victorian gold rush, it later evolved into a high security prison.

In the 1970s after public scrutiny and with calls for prison reform, the facility closed in 1997. Although some of the heritage listed buildings still remain, they are now part of the National Trust who offer tours of both B and the notorious H Division. It is to Hell Division as the inmates named it, that we plan our May Outing.

H Division was established in 1958, as a prison within a prison, a maximum secure unit designed to hold Victoria’s most troublesome, violent and dangerous prisoners.

Step inside the cells and yards of H Division, and let history come alive as you experience the harsh realities that inmates faced daily.

The tour lasts for 90 minutes, with both an expert guide, coupled with the latest immersive audio technology which explores and provides a deep understanding of the brutal realities of prison life in the past.

Hear the stories of Mark “Chopper” Read, Victor Peirce, Walsh Street police shootings, Julian Knight and many more.

The cost of the tour includes a return coach and a group concession ticket to H Division. We plan to have lunch, at your own cost, after the visit and provide you time to look around the beautiful shopping complex. The coach arrives at 2.00pm to return us to Sunbury.