Happy sightseeing!
Melbourne
Channel
Ten Studios (pictured right) - This is the studio in which Prisoner
was filmed, with the back of the studio building being used as the exterior
of Wentworth Detention Centre. It is situated on Hawthorn Road (between
Springvale and Mahoneys Roads) in Forest Hill (sometimes known as Nunawading).
Note that Channel Ten also has offices in South Yarra but Prisoner was
never filmed there. Forest Hill is about 20 kms from the city centre,
so a taxi there would be quite expensive. Public transport to that area
is not too good. The only option seems to be catching a tram along
Burwood Highway to the end of the line and then getting a taxi from there
to the studios. It is possible to get fairly close to the building and
you can see the front view as seen in Prisoner. Those barred 'windows'
are still there. Many of the generic street and shop scenes were
filmed around this same area.
Read about my tour of the studios.
Porter Street, Prahran - In an area known for trendy
cafes, clothes shops and gay cafes and clubs, you will find the original
Halfway House that was run by Karen Travers (unless it has now been demolished).
It is on the Sandringham railway line - just catch the train to Prahran
Station. The actual house is/was somewhere on Porter Street while
nearby Commercial Road and Greville Street are good spots to visit as well.
Courthouse, Prahran (pictured left) - Both the
interior and exterior of this building have featured frequently in Prisoner.
It was used for the trials of numerous Wentworth inmates, including Pat
O'Connell, Sharon Gilmour and Lizzie and Doreen, and was the scene of Ros
Coulson's fatal shooting of Toni McNally. It was also here that Meg
and Jim appeared as witnesses at Geoff Butler's trial, following which
Michael Simpson approached Geoff in the street outside and made a deal
to get revenge on Jim. The courthouse, which still looks exactly
the same, is on Greville Street in Prahran. The side street with
the actual entrance to the court (the prisoners' entrance, as opposed to
the main foyer at the front of the building) is called Macquarie Street.
Most of the exterior filming was conducted in Macquarie Street.
The Hilton Hotel - The expensive bar were Wayne
and Margo went to celebrate her release is in the Hilton Hotel, 198 Wellington
Parade (corner Clarendon Street), East Melbourne. Very close to the
city. The Hotel is not too impressive but the adjacent Fitzroy Gardens
are beautiful. East Melbourne is a suburb primarily known for grand old
Victorian terrace houses and formal, tree-lined avenues. The Melbourne
Cricket Ground is also close by.
Spring Street, Fitzroy - Just a few doors up from
Johnston Street you'll find the white, two-storey Victorian Terrace house
(pictured right) which was used as Greg Miller's surgery in Prisoner.
Flinders Street Railway Station - A bit of a cliché, used in nearly every Melbourne production, including Prisoner (used in the opening shot of episode one with Karen Travers walking past). It's at the corner of Flinders Street and Swanston Street in the city. You can't miss it.
Pentridge Prison - Never shown in Prisoner but certainly mentioned and certainly an impressive building. It's on Champ Street, Coburg, in Melbourne's inner north. Either get the train to Coburg station or the tram along Royal Parade/Sydney Road and get off at Champ Street. At certain times the now-closed Pentridge has been open to the public.
Collins Street - The section of Collins Street between Spring and Exhibition Streets in the city was used for location shooting in episode two where Bea is released, has her hair done and calls Val.
Sydney
Watson's Bay area - When Bea escaped and headed
to Sydney, this is the location of the home where she worked as a servant.
A beautiful spot to visit. During that same Prisoner storyline we
saw a bit of Doreen's flat. That would have been somewhere in Kirribilli.
Kings Cross - This was where Bobbie worked as
a prostitute after being 'escaped' from Wentworth along with Sonia.
The Darlinghurst Road/MacLeay Street areas of Kings Cross and the Fitzroy
Gardens, just off MacLeay Street, were used.