Hyde Park Barracks is an impressive brick building built by exiled architect Francis Greenaway between 1818 and 1819 to hold convicted men and young men. Today, the barracks building is a museum of of international importance and is listed as a national treasure in Australia and the State of New South Wales. It is also listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of Australia's 11 outstanding prison sites - "a superb example of large-scale transport of exiles and colonial colonial expansion of the European powers".
Built by the labour of convicts under the orders of Governor Lachlan McWire, the barracks is one of the most famous creations of Australian architect Francis Greenaway, who was born in England. Up until its closure in 1848, these premier in the New South Wales barracks housed convicts working on building sites in and around Sydney. From 1848 to 1886, the building housed an Immigration Station for single women who immigrated to Australia in search of work. And for for most of the 20th century, until 1979, it housed the judiciary and government offices.
In 1981, Hyde Park Barracks underwent major renovations, after which the building was turned into a museum. Today you can see with your own eyes how 19th-century prisoners and other residents of the barracks lived. The museum features several permanent exhibitions telling about the labour exploits of the exiles convicts and about Australia's system of sending criminals to the colonies.
