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 | Sydney Museums Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 50 |  |
 | |  |  | Museums: Peel Back Layers of History at Hyde Park Barracks | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
HYDE PARK BARRACKS MUSEUM
Yes, peel back the layers of history in this building that has been thefollowing:
1819 - 1848 MALE CONVICT BARRACKS
Built from 1817 - 1819 to house 600 male convicts in secure overnight lodging. When you visit this place try one of the hammocks they slept in on level 3 & see how comfortable it would have been, especially if you were a little taller & fatter than average.
1848 - 1886 FEMALE IMMIGRATION DEPOT
The hammocks were replaced by iron beds. Many of these were young Irish orphans seeking a new life in the Colony of New South Wales living here until hired out.
1862 - 1886 FEMALE INFIRM, DESITUTE ASYLUM For less fortunate women this became an increasing part of the central dormitory building (which you see in the attached photo) eventually taking up Levels 2 & 3. They were terminal patients, demented individuals & other social outcasts
1887 - 1979 COURTS & GOV'T OFFICES
After female housing was finished in 1886 the Hyde Park Barracks undertook extensive refurbishment to change not only the main dormitory building, but also all the surrounding smaller buildings, for courts & other legal offices. In the last century (seems strange saying that about the 20thC)The Clerk of Peace, Industrial Courts, the Public Trustee, the Master in Lunacy (how crazy did he have to be? lol!) were housed here.
1979 - Present
Just on 100 years ago there were plans to demolish the Hyde Park Barracks, but eventually in1975 a decision was made to use these buildings as a Museum. The Historic House Trust of New South Wales (www.hht.net.au) has administered it since 1990.
Like the Museum of Sydney this is another gr8 museum, in my opinion, not only a fascinating part of our colonial history, but also a very manageable one to navigate. It will only take you a couple of hours or so to gain a great deal of knowledge & enjoyment out of this place.You can visit it at a cost of $7 for individuals, $3 for ch'n & concessions or $17 for a family. Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Leave a Comment Address: Queen's Square, Macquarie Street, SydneyPhone: 02 9223 8922Directions: Orientate yourself from Hyde Park. It is diagonally opposite the NorthEast corner of Hyde Park at the end of Macquarie Street.Website: www.hht.net.au Other Contact: 1300 63 777 (Infoline)
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| | | | Museums: Discover our Early History at the Museum of Sydney | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Today I visited the MUSEUM OF SYDNEY,
The MOS is built on the site of the first Government House which was constructed in 1788. The beauty of this little Museum, in my opinion, is that it is so manageable. You only need a couple of hours maximum to get the best out of it.
It is on 3 levels. The ground floor, or Level 1 as it is described in the map you will be given is where you pay your entrance fee of $7. There is also the MOS shop (as all museums everywhere have) & the MOS Cafe.
Level 2 has a great display of a number of things, but I liked the models of the 11 ships of the First Fleet best. There is also the AGL theatre which is currently running 3 films continuously thoughout the day on The Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour & Fort Denison. These films are not long & were all made before 1950 so show some fascinating scenes of these parts of the city from over 50 years ago.
Level 3 has among other things, the Focus Gallery & in this was my main reason for visiting today. It is currently housing, till December 5 this year an Exhibtion entitled - "Rex & Max Dupain's Sydney. Max is quite possibly Australia's most famous photographer starting back in 1934 when it was not a glamour profession in the least.
It was not recognised as an art form till the 1970's.
Max was a master of "Modernism" in his photography focussing on light & form. He passed away in 1992.
Rex, his son was a painter for many years, it would seem as a rebellion against his father's interest/passion in photography. And yet he was ultmately drawn to it & today is recognised in his own right in this field, but takes a very different approach to his father. He is much more of a pictoralist. Despite this he & his father share many similarities in the location of many of their photos. It's a great exhibition & if you get to Sydney before Dec 5 I'll hope you'll visit the MOS not just for it, but everything in this great little Museum.
I'll add a travelogue with some shots I took today. Leave a Comment Address: Corner of Bridge & Phillip Streets, Circular Quay.Phone: 02 9251 5988Directions: It's actually about 3 minutes back up the slight hill from Circular Quay.Website: www.hht.net.au Other Contact: 02 9251 5966 (Fax number)
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| | | | Museums: The Maritime Museum. If you do one thing, do this. | Tip Rating: | | | | |
OK, I spent several years in the Navy so I like to see this stuff, but I thinks its a must see. The Australian Maritime museum isn't as large and doesn't have the depth of the one in Amsterdam, but it makes up for this by having more ships and boats open tothe public. Part of their institutional charter is to restore and preserve older vessels, and you can see them, even if not all are open to the public. The restoration rooms requirte a guided tour. They have here an older destroyer and a submarine, the HMAS Vampire and the HMAS Onslow. Both of these are accessible to the public with a museum ticket and they have cheerful, volunteer guides to show you around. Alternatively, you can wander through as you will. Certain sections, like the engineroom are sealed off for safety reasons, but you can go to most of the exciting parts, like the gun turrets and bridge. Inside the museum they have several exhibits devoted to colonial settlement, the fishing industry, ocean transport, migration and of course the navy. Downstairs is the section devoted to WWII. I found this to be an interesting, educational stop that taught me quite a bit about the history of Australia in general, and its role in WWII in particular. If I were going to do one thing in Sydney, this would be it. Leave a Comment Address: 2 Murray StreetPhone: 61 2 9298 3777Directions: Darling Harbour, on the other side of the monorail tracks and bridge.Website: http://www.anmm.gov.au/ Other Contact: fax 61 2 9298 3780
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