In the Shadow of a Gaol

During the British colonization of Australia an enormous sandstone gaol was built on a prominent hill in the town of Sydney “to strike terror into the hearts of the criminal population”. Within a few years, the surrounding suburb became a haven for the urban poor, the drifters and social outcasts. This film tells the story of that suburb known as “Darlinghurst” and reveals the people who live there today. The microcosm of Darlinghurst is shown as the centre of a new social structure that rejects the old values of British colonization.