The Hyde Park Barracks Museum — Sydney, NSW.

Map showing the convict sites in Australia ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum — Sydney, NSW.

Gov Macquarie ... influenced the transition of NSW from a penal colony to a free settlement.

Dioramas like these help tell the story ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum — Sydney, NSW.

Wall built with bricks made by the convicts ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum — Sydney, NSW.

Sample bricks made by convicts ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum — Sydney, NSW.

Original brickwork ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum — Sydney, NSW.

Open ceiling showing details of the construction ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum — Sydney, NSW.

The commentary in the "Hammocks Room" consisted of snoring men ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum.

Convict tradesmen plied their craft upon arrival at the penal colony ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum.

Convict attire ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum — Sydney, NSW.

Exhibit room ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum — Sydney, NSW.

Miniature dioramas help tell the story ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum — Sydney, NSW.

Some convicts were pardoned; others received tickets of leave to establish/run their own businesses.

Tools of punishment ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum — Sydney, NSW.

Depicting when the barracks were used as a women's asylum ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum — Sydney.

Matron's uniform at the asylum ... Hyde Park Barracks Museum — Sydney, NSW.

Diorama depicting the growth of the city into a free settlement.

Sydney: Hyde Park Barracks Museum

December 18, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

As we were very near the Hyde Park Barracks Museum, from the Archibald Fountain in the park we crossed the street to check it out.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the barracks are described as an “extraordinary record of the living legacy of colonial Australia.” The compound, built to house convicts, was constructed between 1817-1819 … designed by convict architect Francis Greenway. Later it served as a depot and asylum for immigrant women. Then it transitioned into law courts and government offices. Today it is a very-well done museum to which admission is free.

On arrival, we were given headphones and receivers that are essential for the immersive experience.

The visit then started on the top floor of the building. As you move from one room to another — or from one display to another — the receiver senses your location and the appropriate commentary automatically starts up. The descriptions are fairly short … on purpose, I would think, because if you move away to another spot, the receiver senses the change and the story changes with the move.

Dioramas and artifacts in display cases aid in bringing alive the experiences of the men and women who lived in the barracks back in the day.

We both found this to be a fascinating museum.Read more