Sunday, March 13, 2011
I hiked 10 kilometres yesterday in flip-flops so you can imagine today, my legs were sore. But that didn’t stop me from doing what I do best…….visit museums. One of the doctors at work (in Darwin) had suggested the Powerhouse Museum so I thought I better check it out.
That's the museum. Nothing special from the outside but the inside was a pleasant surprise.
I have to say for $10 it was a total bargain. What a great place for adults and kids alike. It has a little bit of everything. History of all kinds, current topics like the environment, lots of things to play with and even a dancing robot. It is a very interactive museum (especially the exhibits in the basement). I can’t lie; I had a lot of fun. Here are some pictures from my tour of the museum.
This is an Eastbourne invalid chair. Designed and built in 1930 in Eastbourne England, which was a popular health resort for old and sick people.
The dancing robot. He liked attention.
A little movie of the dancing robot.
A few more of the robots I found in the museum. It would have been fun if they danced too.
I found these in a section called "What's in Store: Shopping in Australia 1880-1930". I think they are great. Kind of similar to some shoes I bought while in NYC.
This corset is in much better shape than the one I found in the Discovery Rocks Museum. This is also in the "What's in Store" section.
A few of the old steam powered items in the museum. This section was fun because lots of items are still running......as in there is steam coming out of some them and they are still working. Not sure if the engines are powering anything in the museum but they probably still could if it was required of them.
Some of the work by Australian fashion photographer Bruno Benini that is on display at the museum. Bruno was originally from Italy but over the 5 decades he called Australia home he became Australia's most influential fashion photographer.
Another look at some of Bruno Benini's work.
There was a great temporary exhibit called “The 80’s are Back”. Now I am most familiar with the late 80’s but it was a lot of fun to wander through. It made me smile for sure. I didn’t recognize all the music (because a lot of it was Australian 80’s musical talent) but enjoyed it none the less. I even took a few moments to play a game of Pacman. So much fun.
A look at a few of the old video game consoles. Makes me want to play a game of Mario Bros.
I am sure I still have a box of these somewhere in Mom and Dad's basement. Gotta love your My Little Pony......I can still sing the song from the TV commercial. They also had a great display of Cabbage Patch Dolls.
Ok, I never actually had one of these talking Teddy Ruxpin bears but I sure do remember the TV show. Did you know that this was the best-selling toy in 1985 ad 1986? That's what Wikipedia tells me and I'm inclined to believe them.
For the next little while the Powerhouse Museum is also home to an ABBA exhibit…..however it does cost a little bit extra but if ABBA is your thing, I’m sure this exhibit is for you. I didn’t check it out on this day but really enjoyed the rest of the museum. As you can see........they have a very wide range of items on display.
Once I left the Powerhouse Museum I made my way over to the Hyde Park Barracks Museum. I made a quick stop at St. Andrews Church first though. Mainly I had to stop there because it was making so much noise.
One of the many fountains you can find in the Darling Harbour area. Lots of small children enjoying these fountains on a warm Sunday in Sydney.
Yes, the bells were ringing…..and did so for more than an hour. I did indeed confirm that they were being rung by hand. Not sure if the guys ringing them got to make substitutions but I can’t imagine it is an easy thing to do.
A little video of those bells.
Across the street from St. Andrews sits the Hyde Park Barracks Museum. Like so many buildings this one has been used for a few different things over the years, including a male convict barrack.
A shot of the 3 storey barracks.
It was built between 1817 and 1819 for this purpose and served as convict barracks for as many as 600 men at a time between 1819 and 1848. The convicts would go to various locations in Sydney to work during the day and then return to the barracks for evening meals and to sleep at night.
A few of the hammocks that convicts would have slept in. I feel like there would have been a few more and they would have been much closer together.
In 1848 when convict transportation to New South Wales ended, the remaining convicts were relocated to Cockatoo Island (I’ll talk about that another day). The trip from Britain to Australia took 4 to 8 months and was a great expense to Britain. Eventually it was determined that prisoner transport was not sustainable and it was stopped.
A picture through the peephole that prison guards would have used to keep an eye on the convicts while they were sleeping.
Once the male convicts were moved the building was used as the Immigration depot for single females from 1848 to 1886. The hammocks were replaced with iron beds and the surrounding buildings were renovated as offices for a few different things including the Government Printing Office and the Vaccine Institute.
Looking out the front door and the front gate to the barracks. You can just make out St. James Church through there as well.
From 1862 to 1886 the building was also used as a Government Asylum for aged, infirmed and destitute women. They occupied the 3rd floor and were cared for by a matron and able-bodied women from the Immigration depot.
This the Australian Monument to The Great Irish Famine (1845-1848) which is located on the Hyde Park Barrack grounds. It is said that after the famine as many as 30,000 single female immigrants arrived from Ireland.
From 1887 to 1979 the entire compound was converted to buildings for courts and other legal offices. In 185 years this compound has been used by over 50 different government groups. There were plans over the years to demolish the Barracks but in 1975 a final plan to keep the barracks and turn them into a museum was approved. 1979 marked the start of the restoration and conservation of the barracks. In 1990 the Historic Houses Trust assumed control of the barracks and refurbished it as a museum. And today for $10 you can visit the museum..... although it is free to enter the grounds and walk around. I would highly recommend that you do it if you ever make it to Sydney.
And that was my nice and relaxing Sunday in Sydney.
Julie
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