Hyde Park Barracks experience

The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Hyde Park Barracks is a must-visit destination for all ages. A site of exceptional significance, this fascinating building holds the key to understanding Australia’s convict foundations and its impact on Aboriginal Australia, and early contribution to immigration and institutional care.

Today, the barracks provides an extraordinary new way to experience history. Years in the making, this is history, but not as you know it. Layered with cutting-edge innovation throughout, the museum will redefine the heritage experience, bringing Sydney’s past to life more authentically than ever before.

Led by groundbreaking audio technology, you’ll follow in the footsteps of real people touched by this place. Stand where they stood. Listen to their stories. Feel their defiance, awe and hope. With immersive activations, this is not simply a walk through history. It’s living it.

It’s also the chance to discover one of Australia’s most important archaeological collections. Displaying over 4000 original artefacts, the barracks is a direct link to items worn, touched and treasured by past residents – including an intact convict shirt and leather shoe. As some of the world’s few remaining examples, it’s a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with Australia’s past.

Home to Australia’s convict and colonial history, Hyde Park Barracks is a must-see Sydney destination – intriguing on every level. Today, its innovative next chapter will take you where no history book could ever go.