Yatala Labour Prison

Yatala Labour Prison
Rear of the prison complex
Map
LocationPeter Brown Drive, Northfield, South Australia
Coordinates34°50′40″S 138°37′43″E / 34.84444°S 138.62861°E / -34.84444; 138.62861
StatusOperational
Security classMaximum security
Capacity468[1]
Opened1854
Managed byDepartment for Correctional Services

Yatala Labour Prison (/ˈjætlə/; YAT-luh)[2] is a high-security men's prison located in the north-eastern part of the northern Adelaide suburb of Northfield, South Australia. It was built in 1854 to enable prisoners to work at Dry Creek, quarrying rock for roads and construction. Originally known as The Stockade of Dry Creek or just The Stockade, it acquired its current name from a local indigenous Kaurna word relating to inundation by water, which was used for the Hundred of Yatala.

The prison has been expanded many times but still has functioning buildings that date to the 1850s. It remains Adelaide's main male prison and although it was scheduled to be closed by 2011, it has remained open due to the Global Financial Crisis leading to a lack of funding for a replacement prison.

  1. ^ Yatala Labour Prison
  2. ^ "ABC Pronounce". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 February 2005. Retrieved 24 November 2024.