Hyde Park Barracks Museum. Photograph (c) Patrick Bingham Hall

Hyde Park Barracks Museum

The Hyde Park Barracks was built in 1819 to house, clothe and feed convict men and boys. This impressive brick building and walled compound, located at the head of Sydney’s historic Macquarie Street, was designed by convict architect Francis Greenway. After 1848 the main dormitory held newly arrived female immigrants while a handful of government agencies made use of surrounding buildings. In 1862, separate wards for destitute women were added upstairs and the Barracks became known as the Hyde Park Asylum. Sydney celebrated the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1887 with the construction of major public buildings and monuments. The Hyde Park Barracks became a hub of government departments and renamed Chancery Square. Until the late 1970s, thousands of public servants, legal workers and litigants occupied dingy office spaces, courtrooms and corridors, scattered throughout the increasingly crowded complex. Today the Hyde Park Barracks is a museum about itself.

Guidebook | Hyde Park Barracks Management Plan

REDCOATS & CONVICTS

Redcoats and Convicts. Photograph © James Alcock
Muster the family for a day of fun and adventure as we take you back in time to the days of convicts and redcoats.
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OpenMi TOUR

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The recently released audio tour of the Hyde Park Barracks Museum is now presented in Auslan (Australian Sign Language), the first such tour in a NSW cultural institution.

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Address: Queens Square, Macquarie Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

Contact: 02 8239 2311

Admission:

  •  Adult $10 I
  •  Child/Concession $5 |
  •  Family $20 |
  •  Members free |
  • Wheelchair access

Hours: Open daily 10am - 5pm | Closed Good Friday and Christmas Day

Transport:

Language guide:

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