Client
Victorian Department of Justice
Location
Dhurringile, Victoria
Value
$17 million
Role
Civil, structural, hydraulic
and fire
engineer
Located 160 kilometres north of Melbourne, Dhurringile was originally built in 1877 as a 68-room homestead for a large farm.
During the war it was used as an internment camp for ‘alien civilians’ and later for prisoners of war. After the war the Presbyterian Church used it as a training camp for English and Scottish orphans, until the Victorian Government purchased it in 1965 to use as a minimum security prison.
Today, it is a pre-release facility where prisoners undertake on-site employment and community reparation via community assistance programs.
All prisoners are expected to work. The main industries are wooden products and metal fabrication, as well as horticulture, maintenance, gardening, or cleaning jobs. The prison is also a working dairy farm.
Phase one of the $17 million expansion project has been completed for the Victorian Department of Justice. The expansion added 54 beds to the facility.
We provided all civil, structural, hydraulic and fire engineering consultancy services, including design of cells, facilities for disabled prisoners and the upgrade of water and gas systems to the site.
The expansion was opened by Andrew McIntosh, Minister for Corrections on 31 July 2012.
Phases two and three
Following the successful delivery of phase one, Woolacotts was awarded phase two involving extensions to the control centre, an industries building, and a 200 person visitor centre.
Phase three includes six new accomodation units adding 108 beds on a new greenfield area of the site.
Other prison projects
Woolacotts is synonymous with the engineering design of custodial facilities. Other prison projects completed by Woolacotts include:
— South Coast Correctional Centre
— Auckland Women's Prison
— Otago Prison