Creative Escapes

‘When completed, the building will be a handsome ornament to the town as well as a secure asylum for those who are unfortunate enough to deserve its doors being closed upon them.’ (Reporter from The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, 1881.) Built between 1880 and 1881, Narrabri Gaol was constructed by a local […]

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Carving for the Screw

In the 1890s, a Chinese prisoner in Bathurst Gaol was entrusted with a carving tool and used it to create something of beauty. Applying either traditional ivory-carving skills or training received during incarceration, he created twelve delicate trinkets made of bone. Seemingly taking inspiration from Western symbols rather than Chinese motifs, some examples depict a […]

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