The Watch House at George Town in Northern Tasmania is the historic old Gaol site

Featuring a range of displays conveying the region's rich history, the present building was built in 1843 and was reopened in 2004 as part of George Town's Bicentenary of European settlement.

It features a wonderful model village that allows visitors to imagine what early nineteenth-century life was like in George Town, and an acclaimed ‘Departures & Arrivals’ display describes the Female Factories and links to the convict experience.

The Watch House drawing

Visitors can enter a primitive cell to get an idea of the tough life of prisoners awaiting trial or view the changing displays featuring the best in Tasmanian arts and crafts.

The Watch House
The Watch House display

The Community History Room contains a wealth of local information for historians and those researching their ancestry.

Very knowledgeable staff members and a well set out display. I would not have gone in but my partner thought it would be good and he was right; I found it interesting.

Jay Wood