A Site With a Complex Past

Designed by convict architect Francis Greenway between 1818-1819 and built by convict labour, Hyde Park Barracks was initially constructed to house prisoners transported to Sydney in the early decades of British settlement. The site has been used for many purposes over the course of its history, including as a Immigration Depot, Government Printing Office and for various court sessions.


In the present day the barracks are managed as a museum by the Historic Houses Trust. The site was inscribed in 2010 on the UNESCO World Heritage List in a listing of 11 preeminent convict sites located throughout Australia.



View Hyde Park Barracks in a larger map

Timetable of Historical Periods

The Hyde Park Barracks has a complex, chaotic and dare I say, perplexing story to tell about our past. The phase of convict occupation and its compelling drama of hunger, the ever present fear of catching disease or lice, flesh broken by the merciless strike of a whip, and the nightly comfort of a pipe in bed may entice wonder but it is only a fragment of the diverse life experiences of the occupants of the site over time. Though the courts and administration bodies may have embodied order, discipline and the people brought before them were colourful vagrants, outcasts, petty thiefs, drunkards and repeat offenders with strange and interesting adventures in making do against the odds. Feel free to wonder through this site in a meandering journey of exploration and be taken by the stories, the building, the objects or the people as you see fit. The site is intended to offer the viewer the benefit of freedom in their experience of the content, in respect of the thousands who made their lives within the confines of the establishment at Hyde Park Barracks without the luxury of the Internet at their fingertips nor the benefit of hindsight.

But fear not, orderly types, you have been thought of too and below in all of its linear, chronologically-precise glory is a timeline of occupation of Hyde Park Barracks.

Image Feed Uploaded by Flickr Users

Hyde Park Barracks is a busy site for tourists, school groups and members of the general public leaving us with a large array of images uploaded by users on image sharing sites. Below is a selection of the most recent uploads, arranged chronologically.

Hyde Park Barracks- Image Timeline on Dipity.