Originally formed in response to the Russian scare of the 1850s, the New South Wales Volunteer Rifles were based at Hyde Park Barracks from 1860-70 and drilled and paraded in the adjacent Outer Domain.

Although their role was largely ceremonial, these citizen soldiers were called upon to perform duties normally undertaken by Imperial troops during times of crisis such as the Lambing Flat riots and attempted assassination of Queen Victoria's son, Prince Alfred, at Clontarf in 1868.  In 1885, answering the call of Empire, many embarked for the Sudan.

Citizen soldiers explores an important but little-known aspect of our 19th century military history, the precursor of the regular infantry.  It features evocative relics of volunteer life - rare photographs, resplendent uniforms and regalia, rifles and bayonets, and memorabilia associated with their famed rifle matches.