Adelaide Gaol

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (14:50): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Will the minister inform the chamber about some of the events planned over the year to mark the 175^th anniversary of our iconic Adelaide Gaol?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (14:50): I thank the honourable member for his incredible question. I do not know where he finds these deep, delving questions, but I have to say that he has a very clever and close understanding of the work of government.

This year marks the 175^th anniversary, I am advised, of the Adelaide Gaol, and the state government has organised an exciting and diverse range of events to celebrate this important milestone for the complex. The gaol was first built in 1841 and closed about 147 years on, in 1988. It is not only the longest continuously operating gaol in Australia, I am advised, but it is also one of the oldest remaining public buildings in our state.

The celebrations kicked off with an inaugural and highly successful Gaol Blues Festival on 20 March 2016. I think I was advised on the day that it was the largest blues gathering in the state. According to InDaily on 21 March, the festival was a howling success and the building was a perfect setting. The blues festival showcased a number of authentic blues bands, and private operators offered festival goers local craft beer, cider and wine, along with a variety of local food trucks.

The festival was such an enormous success that we are looking at making it an annual event. A total of just under 1,000 tickets were sold; all three food vendors sold out on the day, and the gaol blues merchandise tent did a roaring trade and sold over $4,000 worth of merchandise. I am told that approximately 50 staff members from the food and drink vendors, staging and lighting contractors and cleaning and security companies were present on the day. The day generated a combined turnover of approximately $45,000.

The Adelaide Gaol has received positive feedback on social media and from bands who performed at the gaol, and bands have already started inquiring about next year's event. During the Gaol Blues Festival, we also launched a great travelling photo exhibition, which will run from March to December and which features a selection of photos, maps and drawings usually kept in the gaol's archives. It will spend a month at various locations around the state, including the Enfield Library, the Adelaide Airport, and the National Wine Centre later this year.

Our annual $3 history day on 22 May this year will also be used to celebrate the gaol's anniversary, I am told. Visitors will be able to enter the gaol at the much discounted rate of just $3 per person, and staff and volunteers will be dressed in period costume and provide historical information about the gaol. I am advised also that people will get the opportunity to see a number of the artefacts that have not previously been displayed, which is a real drawcard, as well as enjoy a variety of food trucks.

An even greater drawcard will be a locked-in event, which will be held in July. Visitors will be able to experience a 'prison-style' dinner in a reinterpreted gourmet style, I understand, in the new building at the gaol. I am not quite sure how you turn authentic prison-style food into a gourmet event, but I am sure a number of honourable members would like to investigate this for themselves.

Actors will be playing prison guards and will hand guests a commemorative wine glass, take a mug shot before escorting guests to their cells for an antipasto platter (with a saw blade hidden in it, I'm sure) and drinks in their cells, followed by a fine dining experience prepared using local produce. Of course, the gaol provides the perfect spooky atmosphere for Halloween in October, which is another great success for the gaol.

Activities will be offered during the day for children aged 12 years or under, including trick or treat stations, a haunted house, games, costume parades, self-guided tours and entertainers. There will be Halloween activities for adults in the evening, as well as food and drink trucks throughout the day and evening. In addition to these great events, the Adelaide Gaol recently introduced an exciting education program for school groups, and schoolchildren who participate in 2016 will be given a special certificate to mark the 175^th anniversary. The Adelaide Gaol is also exploring ways to improve visitors' overall experiences, with the opening of a cafe area and a new retail shop offering gaol merchandise.

The 175^th anniversary of the gaol promises to be a great year, packed to the brim with events to suit all tastes. I encourage honourable members to take up the opportunity to at least experience one of these exciting and tempting opportunities coming forward this year. I would like to congratulate all those who have been involved in putting together this very exciting program for the year. I encourage everyone to go and enjoy some of these events and learn a little bit more about our state's history.