Langi Kal Kal Prison

Car

Langi Kal Kal Prison is situated at Trawalla, just off the Western Highway, 43km from Ballarat, approximately two-hours drive from Melbourne. 

From Melbourne, taken the Western Highway and follow it past the Ballarat Bypass towards Ararat. Approximately 43km (30–40 minutes) drive from Ballarat.

Take the off ramp "To Langi Kal Kal Road via Trawalla Road".

Turn right in Trawalla Road, continue straight across the 'old western highway' onto Lang Kal Kal Road, following the road over the train tracks and continue approximately 5 kilometres to the entrance of Langi Kal Kal Prison.

Public transport

Take the train to Ballarat and then the V/Line coach to Beaufort, where a courtesy bus is available to transfer visitors to Langi Kal Kal Prison on Saturdays and Sundays at the time listed below. The return service drops visitors at Beaufort Station. 

Prisoners are asked to advise the duty senior officer by Friday evening of visitors requiring the courtesy service.

To visit a prisoner, you must be on their approved list. Once you are on the list, you can book a visit according to the visit session times listed below. 

It is recommended that you phone the prison before you visit to check that there are no issues on the day of your booked visit. Visitors need to follow the COVIDSafe visiting procedures. 

Parents are responsible for their own children's conduct on visits.

Prisoners who have been convicted of a sexual offence against children will not be permitted to have children under the age of 16 visit them without prior permission of the prison.​​​​​​

For conditions of entry that apply to all prisons, such as general behaviour and the search process, refer to the general information for contacting and visiting prisoners.

Entry

Only items of necessity will be secured in the lockers unless travelling on public transport. All other personal items such as phones, hand bags and smoking products, are to be secured in visitors' vehicles.

Items not allowed

The following items are not to be brought into the prison:

• unsealed or opened packets of cigarettes
• matches
• any foodstuffs or drinks
• mobile phones or cameras
• USB connectors
• MP3 players or any other electronic devices.

Medication that you need to take during a visit must be packaged in its prescribed packaging and be handed to the visitors' reception area until it is needed, which will be done in front of the visitors' reception officer.

Food and drink

Food and drink (excluding water on request and baby formula/milk/drink for young children) will not be permitted during visits to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19. The visit centre canteen is open, but food can only be consumed outside. 

No smoking

Langi Kal Kal is a non-smoking prison.

Toilets

There are separate toilet facilities available for use by visitors in the visits area.

Pets

No pets are to be taken onto prison property.

Prisoners are encouraged to maintain contact with their family and friends and one way to do this, is via visits.

As a visitor to a prison, you are required to follow prison rules, including complying with visitor dress standards, which assist in keeping prisons safe.

There are a range of factors that staff must consider when processing visitors, including the visitor’s clothing or items accompanying the visitor, and the suitability of these items for a prison environment.

Such considerations include clothing items that can be used to conceal contraband, conceal a person’s identity, or breach security, or clothing that could lead to unrest or cause incidents amongst prisoners.

Visitors are encouraged to refer to this list as a guide and to contact the prison directly where they are unsure if their attire will be suitable for a prison visit.

The following clothing items are not permitted for the purpose of a prison visit.

• Gang affiliated clothing, colours or patches
• Clothing displaying racist/derogatory/sexist or profane messaging, imagery or symbolism
• Clothing that is considered to be inappropriately revealing of private body parts or sexually provocative in nature. This may include clothing that is:
  • sheer or see through
  • low cut
  • very short e.g. high cut shorts that reveal upper thigh or buttocks, football shorts, miniskirts
  • exposing e.g. midriff or crop tops
• Gloves
• High visibility workwear due to similarity in attire with contracted workers
• Open-toed shoes
• Scarves (excluding for religious purposes)
• Watches including any type of smart watch or Fitbit activity device 

Visitors should also be mindful that the following items may pose a concern:

• Boots and thick sole shoes
• Hair pieces such as headbands, scrunchies etc
• Hooded tops or jumpers
• Jewellery, particularly where it is excessive
• Sleeveless or strapless clothing
• Windcheaters, track-pants or t-shirts that are bottle green (men’s prisons) or royal blue (woman’s prisons) due to similarity with prison issued clothing

Please note that there may be other circumstances where an item of clothing is considered to present a security risk or safety concern.

Staff may ask visitors to present an item to be searched, including the removal of hair pieces or jewellery where there are concerns that contraband may be concealed.

You may be asked to place any items of concern into a visitor locker for the duration of your visit.

You may also be required to wear a prison issued T-shirt for visitors.

Failure to follow the prison rules may result in sanctions. This may include entry to the prison being refused, non-contact visits or a possible visiting ban.

Property

All items for a prisoner are to be clearly marked with the prisoner’s name and will be processed and distributed by stores officers after being examined for unauthorised contents.

All items can be brought in on a visit, or forwarded by post, with the exception of magazines, cards or correspondence which are to be received via mail only.

When sending in Christmas cards, birthday cards or cards of any type, the card must be plain. Musical cards or cards with anything attached to or stuck on the card are restricted to prisoners and therefore placed in the prisoner's property.

Only newspapers will be distributed on the day of a visit. These should be left at the reception office in the visit centre.

Items not requiring Governor's request approval:

Only the below items will be accepted. Clothes must be new.

• 7 pairs of underwear (jocks, boxers, singlets)
• 7 pairs of socks
• photos (standard size approximately 1500mm x 100mm).

Money

Refer to the Sending Money section of the contacting and visiting prisoners page for details about how much money can be provided to a prisoner and in what format.

All money orders should have the sender's name, address and visitor number i.e. VRN on the back of the money order, otherwise it will be returned to the sender.  

Additional phone money must be approved via Governor's Request prior to the visit.

Langi Kal Kal is an Indigenous name meaning 'resting place of the singing cicada'.

Langi Kal Kal accommodates sentenced protection prisoners.

Lying over 2695 acres, the facility is a working farm with a focus on preparing prisoners for life back in the community. All prisoners under the age of 65 years are expected to work full-time if they are able.

Security level

Langi Kal Kal is a minimum security prison. 

Accommodation

Accommodation at Langi Kal Kal is cottage style, shared accommodation across 3 communities: Central, Redgum and Oak Street.

Each community has a different focus on the transitional needs of the people living within it.

Langi Kal Kal's bed capacity is 428 beds.

History

In 1838 the property was a 70,000-acre farming property with a substantial farmhouse built around 1900. After World War Two, the land was subdivided and the central area, including the farmhouse, was set aside for prison purposes. The first prisoners arrived in September 1950, and the prison was officially opened in February 1951. In 1965 the prison became a youth training centre but then became an adult prison once again in June 1993.