In Her Words: Stories of the Executed Women of Australia

On a cool evening at the National Crime & Justice Museum – Geelong Gaol in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, history sheds its distance and becomes immediate. In Her Words: Stories of the Executed Women of Australia is a focused one‑and‑a‑half hour presentation by historian Deb Robinson that traces the lives, trials and final moments of 25 women executed across Australia between 1789 and 1951. Doors open at 6:30pm, the bar offers a moment to collect yourself, and at 7:00pm the gaol’s narrow corridors and iron doors become the setting for difficult, human stories.

The talk is grounded in place: the museum’s original cellblocks and sandstone façade frame accounts of courts, punishment and social attitudes that shaped those outcomes. Key features of the experience include intimate storytelling in an authentic penal space, a Q&A with the historian, and access to related museum exhibits and books for deeper reading. Expect to see the original cell corridors, interpretive panels, and archival photographs that put faces and names to the records.

Part lecture, part conversation, the evening highlights social history as much as legal detail: how gender, class and race influenced verdicts; how public sentiment and press coverage shaped reputations; and how the penal system recorded, erased and reassembled lives. The presentation is forthright about difficult subjects—discussion includes execution, murder, dissection, infanticide and sexual assault—so it’s not recommended for under-15s. Practical details matter: the event is wheelchair accessible, limited to roughly 100 seats, and runs approximately 1.5 hours including a post‑talk Q&A.

Buy a ticket in advance to secure seating; doors open early enough to browse displays and buy author copies. The museum’s staff and the speaker create a respectful atmosphere where history is examined with rigor and empathy. Why this event stands out: unlike a general museum tour, In Her Words centers female lives in the criminal justice record and restores context to overlooked stories.

Performed inside an actual gaol, it links architecture to experience. For visitors to Geelong curious about social history, penal institutions, or the craft of historical narrative, this evening is a rare chance to confront the past on its own terms while gaining tools to read courtroom records and newspapers differently. Attending feels deliberate rather than passive: the seating is up close, the acoustics favor conversation, and the post-talk Q&A lets you follow threads that surprised you.

The museum’s temporary displays often rotate, so pairing the talk with current exhibits rewards repeat visitors. If you are traveling from Melbourne or the Surf Coast, combine the evening with a walk along Geelong’s waterfront or a morning visit to nearby historic precincts to round out a cultural itinerary. Tickets cost $35 for adults; check the referral booking link for availability and reserve.