The architecture sets the tone. Cold, hard, stone. Cold, hard, iron. Note the common threads running through the adjectives.

Of course the slate sometimes had mats covering it. For the prisoners' comfort? No, quite the opposite; it was to muffle footsteps to add one more way in which prisoners in the solitary cells on the ground floor were cut off from any form of human contact.

Both the iron walkways and the slate were imported from Mother England, according to the Gaol Audio Guide. Why? Maybe the industrial capacity didn't yet exist in Australia, which was only 60ish years old when the gaol started to be built and there was not yet a large enough population to support heavy industry. Maybe well connected factory owners in Blighty saw an opportunity to stick their snouts in the trough of the new colonies. Maybe it was a combination.

Regardless, the "vibe" is indisputable. This place is cold and hard. You do not want to be here. You do not want to return here. Step out of line again, and we will bring you back here.