Western Australian Museum and Old Perth Gaol

Western Australian Museum and Old Perth Gaol Review

The state's largest and most comprehensive museum includes some of Perth's oldest structures, such as the Old Perth Gaol. Built of stone in 1856, this was Perth's first and only prison until 1888. After being decommissioned as a gaol it became Perth's first Museum. Get a feeling for Perth's criminal past and have a coffee at the café in the courtyard close to where executions once took place. Today it is part of a much larger museum where exhibitions include "Diamonds to Dinosaurs," which uses fossils, rocks, and gemstones to take you back 3.5 billion years. "Katta Djinoong: First Peoples of Western Australia" has a fascinating collection of primitive tools and lifestyle artifacts used thousands of years ago by Australia's Aboriginals.