Pedestrian tours along Maitland Gaol’s gantry walkways will give visitors a new perspective on the historic site after a development application for alterations was approved at last night’s Maitland Council meeting.
The alterations and additions to the site will open up access to two of the Gaol’s existing towers, allowing access to the walkways while the existing timber spiral staircases will be retained, sealed and lit, enabling tour participants to catch a glimpse of the Gaol’s original fixtures.
Maitland Gaol Heritage Interpretation Specialist Zoe Whiting says the new offering, known as The Tower Experience, will ‘eventually operate both day and night tours, so that visitors to Maitland Gaol can experience how it would have been for officers on the walls through all hours of the day.’
“Being able to access the towers and walkways will afford visitors an exciting new perspective on this former maximum security prison,” Ms Whiting said.
“The experience will be interpreted in a range of ways, to tell the unique story of the towers from the officer’s perspective for the very first time.”
This project is in addition to more than $11.6 million worth of works toward realising elements of the Maitland Gaol Development Plan, funded by over $10 million in shared State and Federal funding announced in January this year.
More information on the Maitland Gaol Development Plan can be found at maitlandgaol.com.au.
