The Convict Exhibition

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After a morning at the travel agent finding out about options for Tours around Australia for later in our travels, we went to the Convict Exhibition at the Hyde Park Barracks.

The exhibition told the story of how the barracks were used to house Convicts in the 1800’s who were put to work doing manual labour around Sydney. They were given only 2 meals a day, soup and porridge and shackled together in small groups with leg chains and marched to their place of work each morning and back again each evening. Jo tried out the hammocks which weren’t very comfy.

The barracks were also later used to house the Irish orphaned girls who were sent to Sydney during the potato famine as Ireland was suffering too many people at that time, and Sydney had a distinct lack of young females needed to build the population. They were housed in the barracks until they found work outside and were then allowed to leave.

There was also a database of convicts in the exhibition where you could look up your family name and see if there was anyone by your name sent to Sydney as a convict. There was an Ashford recorded… and there were about 15 Curtis’ recorded!

On the way home we walked through Hyde Park and stopped in at St Mary's to have a look around... it was beautiful inside but unfortunately there was no photography allowed so you'll have to use your imaginations

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Photos

Testing out the beds
Not so comfy

Jo spying on the convicts
Using a spy hole added by the guards