Explore the gaol cells built in 1861 and imagine being locked up all night behind one of these heavy wooden doors! It was not unusual for someone to spend three to six months locked up here awaiting a traveling Magistrate. Prisoners given longer sentences were sent to Bunbury and Fremantle Prison or Rottnest Island. The cells were all built with limestone block walls. After a number of escapes by busy inmates the Magistrate J Harris requested the cells be lined with Jarrah boards to prevent inmates digging their way to freedom.

The cell at the end of the corridor with the bars, wood-block floor and shackles was built for Aboriginal prisoners. This is a reflection of the times. Records show that cell 9 was not used post 1940, unfortunately prior records have not been located to date but the search goes on.

The yard at the end of the corridor was used for exercise and toilets. The Exercise Yard is worth a visit just for the toilets! Originally the Exercise Yard had no roof – which led to many escapes - and a wood-block floor. Sadly the wood blocks were removed in the 1980s when the site became an art centre.

The original Courtroom (now the gift shop) and the Bond Store was built in 1860 by David Earnshaw. The Courtroom would have been sparsely furnished with a table and chairs. In 1861 Henry Yelverton won the contract to build the Police Room, the day room, the cells and the exercise yard. At the same time, Magistrate Strelly Harris demanded that the magistrates dressing room be built. It was shared with the Post Office until 1873 when a dedicated post office was built. Nearly 40 years later, the town had grown so much that a larger courtroom was required. The new Courtroom was completed in 1897 the old Courtroom turned into the office for the Government Land Agency and later became part of the Police Station. The 1897 Courtroom is a fine example of Federation-era arts and crafts architecture and remained fully operational until the Police Department vacated the buildings in 1976.

The Bond Store and original courtroom were built in 1860 by David Fothergill Earnshaw (1813 – 1871), a local farmer, builder and publican. He was one of the first police constables in Busselton in the 1840’s and the town’s first gaoler, having built a room onto his property in Strelly Street in 1853 that was used as a lock-up.

The Bond Store and was used by Customs and Excise to store dutiable goods brought from ships moored in the bay and the Busselton Jetty The goods were tagged by the authorities and transported to the Bond Store originally by horse and cart and later on a tramline by push-pull carts (Kalamazoo). A Customs Officer, also known as a Tide Waiter, supervised the landing and storage of goods in the Bond Store until the appropriate tax or excise duty was paid. These goods included tobacco, wine, spirits, dried fruit, potatoes, rice, canvas, mineral oils and salt. Once duty was paid the goods were released for sale.

The Post office was built in 1873 by Samuel Rose to house the new telegraph line built from Perth to Bunbury and Busselton. It was used as a Post Office until 1898 when the new Post Office was built on Prince Street adjacent to the railway - it is still used as Post Office today although the railway has sadly been disbanded for a car park!

The post Office building became a bank and now houses the Lock Up café and produces great coffee!!

The original Police Cottages were built in 1861 by Henry Yelverton housed the sergeants and their families. Whilst building was taking place John Bussell – acting Resident magistrate – wrote to the Colonial Secretary requesting ovens be built into the kitchens to provide meals for inmates of the gaol.

In 1906 the new cottages were built by W.C Rose. It was reported in 1905 that the original cottages were not suitable for married men and their families. The new cottages that we see today are situated closer to Queen Street than the original buildings.

Today, these two buildings are home to long-standing community groups. The Busselton Art Society is a member based organisation that supports local amateur painters by providing a space to paint, meet friends and sell their work. Acting Up drama school is based in the second Police Cottage and is the home of youth theatre in Busselton.

The stables and adjoining buildings were built in 1861 by Henry Yelverton. The stables housed up to 10 horses which were in the service of the Police Station and Post Office. The horses travelled around the district delivering law and mail! The Fodder Room housed livestock fodder and is now used as a workshop space for local art groups and specialist workshops. The alley that leads from the courtyard to the exterior gardens was once the WC for the Police and Magistrate.

The stables have now been converted to artist studios and are home to our Artist in Residence program. This gives the community and visitors alike the opportunity to view the artist at work, discuss their process and participate in workshops offered as a part of the Artist in Residence program.