Pentridge Prison could house backpackers

Talk about an arresting development! Pentridge Prison’s notorious D Division has hit the market, with a price tag of $4.5 million.

And its sale could soon see backpackers following in the footsteps of some of our most infamous criminals, with a temporary stay in one of the cells that housed the likes of Mark “Chopper” Read and the last man to be hanged, Ronald Ryan.

The heritage-listed 1870 building’s dark history hasn’t fazed would-be buyers.

Commercial Insights: Subscribe to receive the latest news and updates

Some are proposing to turn the 160 cells into backpacker accommodation and others are considering restaurants, cafes, wine cellars and self-storage.

Killen Thomas chief executive John Camilleri is selling the old prison building, in Urquhart St, Coburg, and describes the listing as a “pretty unique animal”.

Killen Thomas chief executive John Camilleri at the D Division block at Pentridge Prison, where 160 cells are for sale. Picture: Tim Carrafa.

“I’m by no means a specialist in selling jail cells but obviously, those who’ve shown interest in it will play on the fact that this was a jail,” he says.

The two-level building with a distinctive dome roof housed some of the state’s worst prisoners while they awaited sentence until the prison’s closure in 1997.

The former prison precinct is being redeveloped into a medium-density residential village that includes apartments, townhouses, cafes, restaurants and childcare facilities.

Camilleri says there is strong interest in D Division.

“At this stage, we’re getting a pretty good vibe from this listing,” he says.

This article from the Herald Sun first appeared as “Pentridge Prison cells could house backpackers as infamous D Division block hits the market”.