Gladstone Gaol, a stone landmark on the edge of South Australia’s Southern Flinders Ranges, has reopened to visitors after four years with its doors shut, ABC News reports.
Opened in 1881, the building served as a gaol for almost a century until it closed in 1975, still without plumbing. Volunteers then ran it as a heritage site for decades, but it closed again in 2022 when its caretakers retired and volunteer numbers dwindled.
Now tour company Lantern Ghost Tours has taken on a licence for the site from the state’s Department for Environment and Water. It plans restoration work, a café and accommodation to bring the old buildings back to life. Interest is clearly there: the opening weekend’s tours sold out and extra sessions were added, while a one-off open day in 2025 drew around 1,300 people.
Local tourism figure David Catford described the gaol as the “jewel in the crown” of the Southern Flinders region.
Source: ABC News