Rockbreakers: Prisoners built this colony. Geology made it rich

Temporary Exhibition | Updated 1 decade ago

Image courtesy Mrs D Croft
Perth Gaol 1860

This exhibition tells the story of Fremantle Prison and the Old Perth Gaol during the 1880s. Convict built and prisoner filled, these two sites of incarceration also shared a rock and mineral collection. Held in a guard room of Fremantle Prison, the Geological Museum served as a reference collection for explorers and prospectors seeking the geological riches of the state, particularly gold.

After the Perth Gaol closed in 1888 and remaining prisoners were sent to Fremantle Prison, the Geological Museum was moved to the Perth Gaol. This was the beginning of the Western Australian Museum, and the Old Perth Gaol now stands at the heart of Perth’s cultural precinct.

The exhibition features rock and mineral specimens from the original geological collections of the Western Australian Museum, including malachite, copper, slate, coal and a fragment of the Youndegin meteorite found in 1884 near York. Nineteenth century scientific instruments are also on display, and several significant objects from the Fremantle Prison Collection.

This exhibition was produced by Fremantle Prison.