The outside of Hyde Park Barracks
Photograph: Supplied | Kit Baker

Hyde Park Barracks

  • Museums | History
  • Sydney
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Time Out says

Designed by convict architect Francis Greenway, the barracks has housed nearly 100,000 convict prisoners, immigrant women, and even asylum inmates over its 200 year history. It's now a heritage museum telling the story of its former residents, and their impact on the Aboriginal communities around them, through a state-of-the-art immersive experience.

Visitors have 90 minutes to take audio-led, self-guided tours of the space. Through location-activated headphones, they hear soundscapes and first-person narratives taken from diaries, newspapers and other historical records. The technology really brings to life the complex history of the UNESCO World Heritage site, as well as its impressive collection of more than 4,000 objects recovered from the site by archaeologists.

Details

Address
Queens Square
Macquarie St
Sydney
2000

What’s on

House/Music

It’s old meets new this winter when some of Sydney’s most historic houses will be transformed into intimate live music gig venues. Say hello to the six experimental artists shaking Sydney up from June to August in the House/Music series presented by Museums of History NSW.  It all kicks off at Hyde Park Barracks on June 19 with loscil, a Canadian electronic artist whose 20-year discography spans the genres of ambient, classical and electroacoustic. Next up is Andrew Tuttle and Darren Cross performing in the Clerk’s Room upstairs at The Mint on July 3. Cross is best known for his Australian take on the solo instrumental guitar while Tuttle’s exploratory sounds feature everything from the five-string banjo to electronics.   Head to Elizabeth Bay House on July 17, where Canadian-American musician, composer and artist claire rousay performs musique concrète, layering voicemails, iPhone field recordings, whispers and conversations with autotune vocals. On July 31, jazz supergroup Believe will fill the Justice and Police Museum with their improvisational sounds. Hear the electronic soundscapes of Wytchings, the music project of artist Jenny Trinh, performing at Elizabeth Farm on August 14. To round out the series, Australian guitarist and composer Hiary Geddes Quartet caps off the series on August 28, with a showstopping performance of her latest album at the Justice and Police Museum. Tickets to all performances are on sale now, head here for more info.
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