For more than 100 years, Geraldton’s old gaol was filled with the noise of prison inmates clanging cell chains and thudding cell doors.<\/p>\n
But in 2025, the building still stands and is filled with laughter, chatter and creativity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cell Block Studios has revived the old gaol, allowing local artists to turn a cell into a mini studio and bring their own joy and creations to the historic site.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Old Geraldton Goal has been transformed into art studios.\u00a0 (ABC News: Amy Towers)<\/p>\n
From convicts to creators\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the 1850s, the midwest town 420 kilometres north of Perth established a convict hiring depot which resulted in the construction of a hospital, offices, shops and the old gaol.<\/p>\n
Cell Block Studios chairperson Vicki Robson has been working there for eight years and has great knowledge of the gaol’s history.<\/p>\n
“It started off as a convict depot and then became a prison and was part of the WA prison systems up until 1984,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Then [the prison] transitioned out to the Greenough Regional Prison and it closed.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Vicki Robson has been working and crafting here for eight years. (ABC News: Amy Towers)<\/p>\n
The old gaol stood empty for about four years before a group of artists saw the potential in the building.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“People come in expecting a heritage site, but they get a real surprise when they see the rooms full of colourful creations,” Ms Robson said.<\/p>\n
Some examples of artwork on display in the old gaol.\u00a0 (ABC News: Amy Towers)<\/p>\n
From cells to studios<\/p>\n
Local tour guide and historian Diane Evans says the artists saved the building from demolition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Originally, they were going to knock this building down \u2026 the craft people came in here to save its life, and that\u2019s exactly what they’ve done,” Ms Evans said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The walls of the old gaol are covered with art and stories of its history.\u00a0 (ABC News: Amy Towers)<\/p>\n
Today, painters, sewers and craftspeople continue to keep the building’s story alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Among the colour of the art, Ms Evans makes sure the gaol’s history is recognisable.<\/p>\n
Her latest project focuses on the women that were once imprisoned there.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Old Geraldton Gaol was saved from demolition by local artists.\u00a0 (ABC News: Amy Towers)<\/p>\n
“They were local people or people who came from interstate or overseas who happened to find themselves on the wrong side of the law and given prison sentences in here,” Ms Evans said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It will be a display of different elements of how female prisoners found life in this jail.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Diane Evans has been digging into the history of the gaol. (ABC News: Amy Towers)<\/p>\n
Craft community<\/p>\n
Cell Block Studios treasurer Cathleen Ross loves that there is a space locally to focus on her craft and connect with other artists. \u00a0<\/p>\n
“You get to socialise with your other inmates [artists] and then you have the visitors come through,” she joked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I enjoy coming here because there are other people to talk to and it gets me out of the house.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Michelle Maddox is an artist at Cell Block Studios.\u00a0 (ABC News: Amy Towers)<\/p>\n
For Michelle Maddox, it has been an important outlet among life’s other challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“This space, these people, they’re just awesome,” she said.<\/p>\n
“Originally the crafters saved the jail from demolition, so we are really proud of that fact, and I think it’s a fantastic use of space and of history.”<\/p>\n
Michelle Maddox working on her latest creative project.\u00a0 (ABC News: Amy Towers)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For more than 100 years, Geraldton’s old gaol was filled with the noise of prison inmates clanging cell…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285438,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[64,63,164872,164874,134,164871,164873,2732,158116,45],"class_list":["post-285437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cell-block-studios","tag-convicts","tag-entertainment","tag-geraldton-old-gaol","tag-heritage-building","tag-jail","tag-midwest","tag-wa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285437"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285437\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}