Darlinghurst Gaol tour shows the Sydney CBD lock-up that serves as a monument to NSW crime and punishment – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

A second dark and damp tunnel is sealed off but once joined the cells with Darlinghurst courthouse. Collins went through the tunnel for four different trials (three times for the murder of her second husband and once for the first). When she was finally convicted by the all-male jury, there were many public petitions. Where the women were held, there was even a padded cell lined with horse hair for those whose mental state required it.

The 1870 morgue with its skull and cross bones over a peeling bottle-green door is still here. Seventy-five men and one woman were dispatched at the gallows, which at one time were erected outside the perimeter in Forbes Street to better facilitate public viewing.

There was also a lot of illness. Apart from those who were hanged, a further 500 died at the site during incarceration through illnesses including TB.

With its past, it is no wonder there are tales of unexplained events. “There have been reports, usually by security guards who heard weird noises at night or got locked in,” said Beck, whose books on the jail include Hope in Hell and Captivate.

“It’s quite spooky – the bats fly over. One guard left in 2006 because he got so scared. He said he saw an old man round where the gallows were. He spoke to him and tried to get him to leave and…