Pentridge

Overview

Victoria's most infamous prison has undergone a multimillion-dollar restoration and makeover. Pentridge is now home to a sprawling retail, dining and entertainment precinct spanning 6.7 hectares and encompassing retail, hospitality and entertainment venues, including a 15-screen Palace cinema. The site also contains a number of outdoor public areas, including a 6500-square-metre piazza. Some heritage elements from the prison have been retained, with the venue showcasing stories about its former life in its design.

A range of eateries, from fish and chips and dumplings to gelato and a bakery, offer both indoor and al fresco dining, with the precinct specifically keen on picnics on its lawns. The lifestyle precinct also houses a supermarket, hair salon, barbershop and a massage parlour.

The new Pentridge Adina Apartment Hotel will be located at the precinct, too. When it opens in the coming years, that means you'll be able to stay onsite in heritage rooms. Also slated in the future are tours of the entire former prison, which are expected to start in early 2022.