The full day we had in Sydney was rainy, so we visited a few museums. One was the Hyde Park Barracks (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), which was an interesting overview on Australia as a convict colony. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Britain transported many of its convicts to Australia and they became the labor force that eventually built modern Sydney and Australia.

The Barracks opened in 1819 as a dormitory to house male convicts, especially those who had just arrived. The Barracks remain intact today and visitors can see the original walls and ceiling/roof originally built by the convicts. In 1848, it was changed to a female immigration depot and then later served as an asylum for poor, sick, and homeless women. -J 🇦🇺