IMAGINE sitting in a dark stony gaol cell with your hands in cuffs, facing the challenge of escaping out the padlocked steel door all in the space of 45 minutes.
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This is the test for challengers brave enough to tackle the Hunter’s newest escape room at Maitland Gaol.
Operated by Craig and Joyce Sweeney, the escape room was designed and created by business Escape Room Games Pty Ltd who masterminded the highly anticipated experience – which will break out next month.
“This is our first escape room but we have been here for almost 12 years with our other activity which is called Battlezone Play Live,” Mr Sweeney said.
“We saw an opportunity to extend our experiences here by opening up this new escape room. We believe it is the only one in the whole of NSW based in a gaol.”
The new escape room will operate Friday to Sunday at Maitland Gaol, with a maximum three people per cell.
Mr Sweeney said the infamous gaol was the perfect venue for the escape room with barbed wire, tiny cells, padlocks and stony walls.
“It has great history but certainly the atmosphere is incredible for this kind of activity,” he said.
“They say it’s a haunted gaol but I’ve never come across anything personally. We already had access to it so it was a logical step to utilise the space for the escape room.”
The couple are tight lipped about the details of their escape room but did confirm participants will definitely be handcuffed and locked in a cell.
“The experience involves consensual restraint. People will be handcuffed but they can released at any time because some people may be claustrophobic,” Mr Sweeney said.
”There will up to three people in cell, and we have 10 cells available so we will be able to take groups of 30 people at a time.
”We’ve had a phenomenal response. We don’t open until the middle of November, but the response has been outstanding.” The sessions will run at 4pm and 6pm, which Mrs Sweeney said will make for a very eerie experience for the brave challengers.
“It’s a very psychological experience. But the staff will be monitoring the whole time, and will offer clues if people are really struggling,” Mrs Sweeney said.
“People will have to follow the clues.” More information: facebook.com/escaperoomnewcastle
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