Museum Audio Tour Sample

Transcript

Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
In 2010, Hyde Park Barracks was one of a group of convict sites placed on the world heritage list by UNESCO built in the 18 hundreds. Their impact and that of many other sites is still felt today. They provided the forced convict labor that helped build modern Australia. But they also enabled the brutal dispossession of first nations peoples. Each site has its own story. But our focus is this barracks and the men and women whose turbulent lives. It touched on your tour. You'll hear from them. Their words though sometimes fictionalized are for the most part based on real people and situations move into the next space like most convicts. Your journey begins in a British Court of law. The year is 18 14. The entrance is to the left of the map. One room, two pictures, Charles Allen arrived in a colony controlled by the man in the large portrait major general Lachlan Macquarie, fifth governor of New South Wales. Governor Macquarie had big plans for Sydney to carry them out. He needed a large convict workforce. So in 18 17, he ordered the construction of the Hyde Park barracks to house them. His architect was the man in the smaller portrait. A convict Francis Greenway macquarie left an impressive array of roads, towns and public buildings. He believed that convicts could be reformed and that the colony had a prosperous future. However, during his tenure, the pace and violent impact of colonization increased today. His is a mixed legacy and for aboriginal peoples, a deeply painful one in the 19 eighties. When the barracks became a museum, the floors were removed, everything was stripped back to reveal the original surfaces. You're traveling through layers of history. When you reach the top floor, you'll be able to see the original lime washed brickwork looking as it would have in the convict era. That's the end of our tour. Please return your device to the shop.