Cooma Correctional Centre
Construction of the Cooma Correctional Centre commenced in 1870 from local granite which was quarried from the hill where the Centre now stands.
The Centre commenced operations on 1 November 1873 with 31 cells. In 1876 it was reduced to a Police Gaol and then a temporary Lunatic Asylum in 1877. The Centre closed temporarily in the early 1900s.
The Gaol reopened on 8 March 1957 and was again closed 10 July 1998.
Cooma Correctional Centre reopened for the second time in November 2001.
The Centre is a minimum and medium security institution located only one hour's drive south of Canberra, 410 km from Sydney and 652 km from Melbourne.
The Centre has accommodation for 140 inmates and a total of 53 staff, consisting of 34 custodial officers, 8 overseers and 10 support staff.
Address
1 Vale Street
Cooma NSW 2630
Postal Address
Locked Bag 7
Cooma NSW 2630
Phone: (02) 6455 0333
Fax: (02) 6452 2491
How to get there
Public Transport
By Air - Regional Express (Rex) offers a daily air service between Sydney and the Snowy Mountains (Cooma). The airport is ten minutes from the centre of Cooma. Bookings and schedules are available from www.rex.com.au
By Rail - CountryLink provides a daily service from Sydney to Canberra with a connecting bus service to Cooma. From Melbourne, there are frequent bus and daily train services to Albury, for connection to Greyhound Pioneer.
City Rail Information
By Bus - CountryLink provides a daily service from Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. Greyhound Pioneer operates frequent coach services from Sydney and Melbourne to Canberra.
Bookings and schedules are available from www.Greyhound.com.au and www.countrylink.com.au
Private Transport
From Sydney - Cooma is located approximately 410 km from Sydney. Travel south via the Hume Highway, which takes you through Canberra.
From Melbourne - Cooma is located approximately 652 km north of Melbourne. Take Highway One through Gippsland, turning in at Cann River to the Monaro Highway and Bombala and then on to Cooma, or continue on to Merimbula and Bega and take the Snowy Mountains Highway up Brown Mountain to Nimmitabel and onto Cooma. However, this route will take approximately two hours longer.
From Canberra - Cooma is located approximately 114 km from Canberra. Travel south via the Monaro Highway.
Visitor Information
Bookings:
No bookings required.
Visit times:
Saturdays , Sundays and selected Public Holidays - 8.30 am - 3.30 pm. Contact the correctional centre for further details
Conditions:
- Leave personal property and valuables at home. These are not permitted into the Centre.
- You are permitted to bring up to $20 in coins for use in snack vending machines.
- Complete a 'Green Slip' before proceeding to the Visits processing counter.
- Any person who enters the Centre may be subject to a search by metal detector. Failure to comply with any direction may result in your visit being denied.
- Make sure you have suitable identification, being one primary (which includes photo and current address, eg, drivers' licence, passport, etc) and one secondary (eg, birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc).
- Items not allowed into the Visiting area: Cigarettes, folding money, drugs, syringes or weapons, mobile phones, cameras, pets of any type, alcohol, blankets or thermoses. No valuables. All removable jewellery must be taken off (except wedding rings). No photos or letters. No hats, scarves, handkerchiefs, sunglasses. No item of clothing is to be removed or exchanged in the Visits area. No food or drink is allowed during Box visits (non-contact visits). No lollies or food can be taken into the Centre. No offensive or sexual behaviour is allowed. No smoking in Visits area.
- Travel Assistance forms are available from the Welfare Officer, and can be lodged on the Visitors' behalf (conditions apply).
Legal Visits
Legal practitioners may visit 7 days a week. Notification of intention to visit must be made by telephoning the Centre on (02) 6455 0333 or in writing to the General Manager.
Industries
Industries employing inmates include domestic service, laundry and food services within the Centre, and Textiles (manufacturing clothing) which currently employs up to 40 inmates, maintenance trade position, Corcraft and special projects.
Museum
The Museum is opened Tuesday to Friday, 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm and Saturday, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.
The Corrective Services NSW’ Museum is a living Museum, as it employs elect inmates in a variety of areas such as tour guides, sales assistants, collection management and craft manufacturing. For further information, telephone 6452 5974.
Education
Inmates are encouraged to participate in the following courses. Please note that these are subject to change.
| AEVTI Courses | NSW TAFE Courses |
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Inmates study various distance education courses through OTEN (NSW), Victoria and Queensland TAFEs
Offender Services & Programs
A range of educational, vocational and therapeutic programs are facilitated by professional staff, including an Alcohol & Other Drugs Officer, Welfare Officer, Senior Correctional Education Officer and Psychologist. External service providers also facilitate various educational and vocational programs. Inmates’ sentences are managed in accordance with the Agency’s Case Management Policies and Procedures.
Community Projects
Inmates paint buildings, maintain gardens, river/creek banks, showgrounds, ovals, town and village road entrances, undertake minor maintenance works in and around Cooma and its surrounding villages and provides assistance to local community groups, schools and centres.
Inmates also participate in the yearly Clean Up Australia Day Campaign as well as providing much needed assistance to groups and individuals to undertake bush fire hazard reduction works.