Hyde Park Barracks Review- 4 Great Reasons to Visit

Hyde Park Barracks is one of the those places in Sydney that I had been meaning to visit for years, but hadn’t gotten around to yet. Sometimes when you live somewhere, it’s easy to become complacent in your sightseeing, since there’s always somewhere more exotic or unusual to visit. Case in point- I grew up just outside Washington, DC, and still have yet to tour the White House…However, this weekend I was feeling like an adventure. If you’ve read the blog before, you may have noticed I am really into Australian convict history, and love visiting historical sites. After my recent trip to Fremantle Prison, I decided it was finally time to check out Sydney’s Hyde Park Barracks Museum. Here’s our Hyde Park Barracks Sydney review. 

The barracks contain hundreds of years of history, stories, and tragedy, and offer an incredible insight into Sydney’s convict past.

What is the Hyde Park Barracks Museum?

Now a World Heritage listed site, the barracks opened in 1819 to house male convicts that had been sentenced to transportation beyond the seas. (This essentially means a sentence in Australia for a set amount of years, although sometimes an early release could be earned.) English prisons were rapidly filling, and after the American War of Independence, the English had lost a major colony, making colonial Australia a large destination for English convicts.

Why were there so many convicts, you might ask? The penal system and way of thinking at the time put emphasis on deterring crimes, and issued harsh sentences for what seem like minor crimes now- stealing linen, vagrancy, public drunkenness. English cities were overcrowded, life was hard, and many people had few other options.

Despite the cruel nature of the sentence, many convicts were able to become free men and women in Australia after their sentence, and could receive land, start a family, and start businesses or develop a new life, far away from their past. 

In later years, the barracks became an immigration depot for women, courts and an administrative center, and now a museum.

Hyde Park Barracks Review:

Literally put yourself in the shoes of a convict

The museum has made an effort to be as engaging and interactive as possible, for both kids and adults. Try on shackles and the state-issued prison clothing that a convict of the time would have worn, touch the food samples (plastic, for obvious reasons), to get an idea of the daily meal rations, and check out the interactive displays about what transportation was like, what convicts faced when they got here, as well as what life was like in England at the time. (Hint- not that great, for most.)

Hear the stories of convicts, immigrants, and wardens

Included in the admission price is a headset (you can select your language preference). Enter the number on your headset that corresponds with the room you are standing in, and hear both history and the stories of those who lived here. I am not always a big fan of headsets, as I prefer a guided tour or just to explore on my own.

However, thanks to stellar record keeping and the work of historians, the letters, records, and lives of many who lived here were recorded. Many of these stories, from convicts and immigrants are told, both through the headset and through the interactive displays. This is a fantastic overview of prison history in Sydney and Sydney’s convict past. 

Get into the swing of things in a convict’s hammock

The Hyde Park Barracks Museum, essentially one large building, is split in three parts, one for each level. The ground floor is a museum focuses on convict history and colonial Sydney, the second floor on immigration, but walk up to the third floor for the real kicker…

This large, open space features the recreated living space of the convicts, who each had a hammock, about 50 to a room. This tiny iota of space was their storage quarters, sleeping area, and generally all of the room they had for themselves.

The headset encourages you to pull up a hammock, kick off your shoes, and listen to the stories of those who lived here. Not to worry- the hammocks are all recreated, so you can’t do any damage. (However, real remnants of the hammocks and the rope can be seen on level 2.)

Hearing the story of a nine-year old boy sentenced to serve time in Sydney, on the other side of the world, away from his family, is pretty much unfathomable to us, but was not uncommon at the time. 

The other half of the room is left open, except for black silhouettes near the windows and the subtle background noise of murmurs, whispers, and men talking, created based on historical records. This creates a haunting and eerie feeling, very separate from the other two museum levels.

Amazing spot for architectural photography

The building has been left open in parts, to peel back the layers and show what it looked like in different stages of its life. Old stairwells, long corridors, paned-glass windows looking out onto the modern city, and late-afternoon light created great leading lines and some really fun photo opportunities, made even better by the lack of crowds. If you’re into photography, bring your camera along and get creative.

Before You Go:

• The Hyde Park Barracks (Queens Square, Macquarie Street) are part of the Sydney Living Museums. They are a great trust that manage a range of historic buildings and museums in the Sydney area.
• Admission prices and hours can be found here.
• The Barracks are one of several World Heritage Convict Sites across Australia. The others can be found here– may have to make it a mission to visit all of them…
• If you’re hungry, there’s a great cafe on the grounds, The Bakehouse– you can also visit without paying museum admission.

Looking for more fun things to do in Sydney, or across Australia? Check out our top tips here and here.

 

Note: I visited the museum as a full-paying guest, and all opinions are my own.