Hyde Park Barracks Museum, Sydney, NSW

Hyde Park Barracks were built in 1817-19 as the first convict barracks in the colony of New South Wales. They were built at the instigation of the visionary Governor Lachlan Macquarie, and were designed by the colonial architect, Francis Greenaway, himself a convict.

They went through a variety of uses, male convict barracks, female immigration depot, asylum for infirm destitute women, courts and government offices, until they became a Museum.

This is a very interesting museum, which explores the processes of researching the past. Layers of history are visible here.

This photograph from the top floor shows cut out profiles of convicts, based on their recorded details of size, shape, crime and punishment in the documents. There is a sound-scape to accompany this.

It is very well done, fascinating, moving and somewhat depressing given the stories of suffering and punishment.