Interpretation Australia Awards 2016
Award for Excellence
Project between $50,000 and $150,000
Female Immigration Depot 1848-1886
Hyde Park Barracks Museum, Sydney
Curator Dr Fiona Starr, Barbara Zammit, descendant of immigrant Rose McGee and Minister for Heritage
Robert Stokes. Photograph © James Horan, Sydney Living Museums, 2014
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1) What is your project?
Mary Shand has not returned to the Depot…(giggles)…I heard she went on board the ‘Kate’ and
was seen with a drunken sailor here in Sydney this afternoon … Excerpt from the Female
Immigration Depot soundscape, details sourced from Matron Eliza Capps, Hyde Park Barracks Daily
Report, 30 September 1849
Female Immigration Depot, 1848-1886 is a semi-permanent exhibition at the Hyde Park Barracks
Museum (HPBM), Sydney, which opened in July 2014. It tells the story of the thousands of governmentassisted working-class Irish, English, Scottish and Welsh female immigrants that were house in the
Female Immigration Depot at the Hyde Park Barracks between 1848 and 1886. For these ‘unprotected’
women, the depot was the first experience of a foreign land. Most came to the colony to seek
employment, lured by the assisted passage, images of colonial prosperity and for marriage opportunities.
Others came to be reunited with family members who had arrived earlier as convicts or free settlers.
The aim of the exhibition is to reveal this little known part of the Barracks history and enhance the visitor
experience through an immersive display. A second floor room has been transformed to re-create the
dormitory atmosphere young female immigrants would have experienced during their stay. Visitors are
encouraged to sit on the bed, open the trunks or dress-up in a costume to get a sense of daily life in the
depot.
The tedious day-today experience of the immigrant women is brought to life through the dramatic
recreation of historic sources – daily reports, letters, newspaper articles – within an atmospheric and
evocative soundscape and through a projected film documenting a series of women sleeping in a bed,
referencing the approximately 40,000 immigrants that passed through the Barracks. In addition, the
exhibition features the fascinating and internationally important Hyde Park Barracks archaeology
collection, perhaps the most important and well-preserved archaeological archive of provenanced 19th
century women’s material culture in the world. The archaeological content is a key feature of the display
and the selection of the refuse of dormitory life that the women left beneath the floorboards illustrates a
story specific to the Hyde Park Barracks immigration depot.
2) How does it demonstrate excellence and best practice in heritage interpretation?
Planning
Research, concept planning and methodology
Audience research undertaken by Morris Hargreaves McIntyre (MHM) indicated that visitors to the HPBM
desire multi-modal interpretation that engages all the senses. A chance to learn about history and explore
the building were key motivators for visiting HPBM and existing hands-on recreated spaces were
frequently identified as a highlight of the museum experience.
The previous display exploring the immigrant experience was a static space that inhibited visitors’ ability
to fully appreciate the lived experience of the immigrant women. Blacked out windows compromised an
understanding of the context of the Immigration Depot in relation to the city, in particular St James church
over the road and a single large showcase dominated the room distracting from the fabric of the building
itself. In addition, the display focused on a singular aspect of the immigrant experience and place-based
storytelling was a footnote rather than a feature.
Former Irish Orphan Girl Display
Photo © Sydney Living Museums
The project team developed a project brief that responded to audience feedback and incorporated the
four SLM brand values: authentically resourceful, personally fascinating, reviving and revitalising, and a
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sociable host. The new display would offer visitors a visually rich and immersive display through the
integration of delicate artefacts, unique personal stories, a robust recreated dormitory, reproduction
graphics and complementary audio-visuals.
Research for the exhibition involved a thorough analysis of Immigration Depot records held by State
Records NSW to ascertain how many women passed through the depot, what provisions they were
supplied with and their day-to-day routine. Aiming to provide a personally fascinating interpretation of the
history, the installation drew upon the individual profiles and portraits of women that passed through the
Immigration Depot. Where possible, descendants were contacted to glean the personal stories of the
immigrant women and to develop an understanding of the legacy of these women within our community.
Exhaustive research and consultation was undertaken to ensure the accuracy of the reproduction
bedding and travelling trunks to create an authentic dormitory experience for visitors while traditional
construction and sewing techniques were revived in order to revitalise the space.
Audience – profile, expectations and issues
Audience research conducted by MHM has provided a clear understanding of the visitors to HPBM and
their expectations.
 87% of visitors are visiting for the first time
 65% of visitors are from overseas
 Family visitation is low, 14%, and there is a desire to grow this audience
Visitors have indicated they want multi-layered interpretation that engages all the senses and instantly
transports them back in time so that they can emotionally relate to the people who ‘lived’ the history.
Nearly half of visitors to the HPBM prefer to receive information through video and sound, historic room
recreations and exhibitions/displays with historic objects.
With more than half of visitors to HPBM being from overseas the museum needs to rely on methods other
than text to tell the stories of the site.
Immigration Depot incorporates all of the preferred mediums of information communication to meet
audience expectations, while the recreated dormitory efficiently and evocatively provides a sense of the
many uses of the building and in particular the immigrant women’s physical experience of life in the
depot.
Key messages, themes and storylines
KEY MESSAGE: Lift the lid on life at the Female Immigration Depot, 1848–86. Hyde Park Barracks has
transformed one of its rooms to re-create the dormitory atmosphere young female immigrants would have
experienced during their stay. Featuring touching personal stories and using our rich archaeology
collection, we uncover the personal experiences of the women who passed through this temporary
institutional home.
THEMES:
1. Displaced
2. Journey
3. Arrival
4. Possessions
5. Passing time
6. Taking care
7. Dining
8. Legacy and leaving
Immigration Depot focuses on the unique story of the experiences of those who arrived at the HPBM
depot, and their daily life in the institution. The intention is to provide a clear impression of the dormitories
where the immigrant women stayed and an insight into the personal experience of the women, while also
providing a deeper level of engagement by providing a contextual storyline. Sparse, simple and
institutional in style, the installation draws its information from the archaeological and historical records, to
illustrate the stories of how the women lived in the depot, the dormitories, dining room and hiring room
and to share the individual experience of a selection of women.
Communication – techniques and channels / choice of interpretive media
As outlined above, audience research revealed that our visitors respond positively to a multi-modal
interpretative approach to receive information through video and sound, historic room recreations and
exhibitions/displays with historic objects. The exhibition incorporates all of these preferred mediums to
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best meet audience needs and conveys the story using four main interpretative techniques: historic
recreation; audio visuals; artefacts; didactics.
The recreated dormitory efficiently and evocatively provides a sense of the immigrant women’s physical
experience of the depot. The dormitory environment is realised through 19th century iron dormitory beds
with historically accurate bedding. Wooden travel trunks reference the single original travel trunk on
display in the space and each one contains the hand-painted name of one of the many thousands of
immigrant women that stayed at the depot. A faceless mannequin dressed in an 1860s style period dress
adds to the sense of the women who have long since departed. In addition these elements encourage
visitor interaction with the display. Visitors are encourage to sit on a bed, lift the lid of a trunk, or try an
1860s style dress. Such interactivity aims to create a positive and memorable museum experience.
There are three audio visual elements: a soundscape, a projection and black and white footage. The
atmospheric soundscape drawn from original source material provides a sense of the sounds, chatter and
conversations that would have taken place within the immigration depot. The soundscape transforms
prosaic government and institutional records adding some theatre and engaging visitors in way the written
word cannot.
I loved how they did the recordings. I kept thinking I was hearing voices and going crazy … it was
really cool Immigration Depot exhibition visitor, 2016
A silent projection of different women sleeping in a bed enlivens the space and references the thousands
of women who passed through the depot doors, most of whom we have scant details about, apart from
their name. Black and white footage of a journey at sea hidden within a trunk conjures up rough and
uneasy sea voyages.
The archaeological artefacts are densely layered within the wooden travel trunks and arranged into
illustrative themes accompanied by didactics. The layering of the artefacts references archaeological
layers. The exhibition aimed to extend the archaeological artefacts into revealing more than they have
before, providing context of where the artefacts were found in the building, and what this reveals about
who used them, when and how. While viewing the artefacts in the trunks, visitors are encouraged to
consider ‘What does the archaeology tell us?’, to draw out meaning from the quantities and qualities of
discarded rubbish, personal possessions and forgotten keepsakes the women left behind, and reveal how
the archaeological evidence can extend our understanding of the barracks history beyond what we know
from archival sources.
The exhibition didactics create an overarching sense of the experience of the immigrant women and
provide a context for other interpretive media. Visitors gain an insight into individual experiences through
the personal profiles of a selection of immigrants and this is extended through the stories in the ‘family’
album that brings the story of a handful of women into the present by tracing their descendants.
Design – problems solved, appropriateness to setting, aesthetic appeal
In its previous version, this room was unusable by education or large groups and the overbearing single
showcase overpowered the delicate remnants existing in the room that spoke to earlier uses and stories.
The design solution to these issues – removing the showcase and recreating a dormitory environment
were critical to the successful interpretation of this space, one that is authentic and respectful of the place
and its layers of evidence while also being immersive, hands-on and interactive allowing this to now be a
heavily used education space and high dwell visitor space.
Environmental considerations
The recreated dormitory environment necessitated the need to strip out devices that had been installed to
protect objects from the environmental conditions, namely black-out window covers and a large
freestanding showcase with a controlled micro-environment. The vulnerability of the archaeological
artefacts and the need to protect them from environmental conditions were key considerations in the
design of the new display. The project team consulted with conservators to assess the environmental
conditions of the space and to determine what measures were required to protect the artefacts.
Holland blinds were installed on the windows to enable some control over the level of natural light filliing
the space. Artefacts are housed under lidded showcases that act both as a protection of the artefacts and
another means for visitors to interact with the content. The lights in the showcase are triggered when the
lid is lifted thereby minimising the artefacts exposure to light.
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Engagement
Audiences and method of engagement
The exhibition is open to visitors of Hyde Park Barracks seven days a week, and is available for selfguided visits and those who choose to join the daily guided tours of the museum provided by Visitor
Interpretation Officers. The exhibition also plays a key role in the museum’s curriculum based Stage 5
secondary education program entitled ‘Perish or Prosper’, through which students work as historians,
using maps, paintings, newspapers and personal accounts to discover how Sydney changed between
1820-1850, learning about the experiences of convicts and female immigrants at the Barracks.
Stakeholders and method of engagement
The development of this exhibition involved a period of consultation with descendants of the immigrant
women whose stories were selected to be included in the exhibition. Living all around Australia, these
descendants collaborated with the museum by providing family history research and images, and kindly
provided permission for the reproduction of portraits of women in the exhibition. Through this process of
consultation and collaboration, the descendants became personally invested in the project, and felt a
sense of ownership and pride in the resulting exhibition.
Implementation
The transformation of the room to recreate the dormitory environment is part of a broader reinterpretation
project at the HPBM that will be delivered in stages. The exhibition took cues from other successful
interpretation elements of the HPBM, that is, recreated spaces such as the convict hammocks, and
hands-on, immersive displays. The exhibition is one element in the process of transforming the HPBM to
create a more immersive and cohesive experience for our visitors, with hands-on activities that appeal to
family audiences.
The exhibition is part of the daily offer at the HPBM. All elements of the exhibition were completed upon
opening in July 2014, however descendants of immigrant women are encouraged to get in touch and add
their story to the ‘family’ album, thus expanding our connections with our descendent community.
This exhibition has been marketed on the SLM website as a feature exhibition, but is also regularly
promoted as an integral part of the whole experience of a visit to the HPBM.
Access
The HPBM audio guide provides multilingual interpretation of all the spaces of the museum providing for
Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, French, Spanish, Italian and German speaking visitors. The audio guide
was updated to explain the context of the display and to encourage visitors to sit on a bed or explore the
artefacts on display.
Training
All Visitor Interpretation Officers, Volunteer Guides, and Curriculum Program Deliverers are provided
training to communicate the key themes of the display. Furthermore, a new Sydney Living Museums
education program ‘Perish or Prosper’ for secondary students was developed to complement the themes
of the exhibition and extensive training has been provided to Curriculum Program Deliverers to enable
them to confidently deliver the program and answer relevant questions.
3) Identify the resources needed for your projects (e.g. staff, materials, money). Demonstrate how
you used these resources effectively.
Detailed project costs including labour, materials and installation
PROJECT COSTS
Staff
$48,000
Copyright and AV
$5,450
Loans/Conservation/Props
$2,485
Graphic production
$4,910
Construction
$39,390
Launch
$680
TOTAL
$100,915
Choice of interpretive media for maximum or desired effect
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The room aims to create an interactive installation with the look and feel of an immigration dormitory
marrying the authentic features of the room/building (this was the actual place) with modern interpretative
elements and recreated period furniture. The design response can be seen in the showcases inspired by
the actual timber trunks given to female immigrants when leaving for Australia (with an original one also
on display) and on the bedding of the period steel dormitory beds. Each trunk has the name of a female
immigrant, who had passed through Hyde Park Barracks, hand painted on to the front and sits beside the
beds dressed in hand-stitched fabrics prepared to match the material and sewing techniques of the
period. This is not a ‘set piece’ room dressing but an immersive experience - visitors are encouraged to
open the lids of the trunks to discover the interpretative text engraved on the inside of the lids and layers
of related graphics and objects. A fabric label lying across the foot of each bed tells the individual story of
the female immigrant named on the trunk. The bedding and labels are fixed so as to allow visitors to
experience actually lying on the beds. Visitors are attached by movement and sound given by a sleeping
female immigrant projected on to one of the beds and speakers hidden within a number of the trunks.
Cost-effectiveness versus ‘reach’ to intended audience
The stage or scene for the immigration dormitory was supplied for free by the Hyde Park Barracks
building itself with its original features and layers of patina. This allowed for the budget to be concentrated
around the dressing of the space to give the visitor the feel of a shared sleeping space with rows of
dormitory beds and a sense of how precious the few items the female immigrants stored in their trunks
were to them. To this aim the majority of the budget went into creating the trunks and bedding based on
descriptions and surviving examples from the period. Additionally by utilising the dormitory aesthetic of
rows of beds along the walls, a free central zone was created for use by education and tour groups.
Innovative use of resources / sustainability / future proofing
Hyde Park Barracks archaeological artefacts relating to the immigration depot period were important to be
able to be displayed in the trunks to illustrate how the immigrants lived during their stay, but their fragility
created challenges. An off-the-shelf lighting system was installed inside each trunk linked to a sensor so
that the light is only triggered when the lid is open allowing for the long term display of these light
sensitive artifacts. This off-the-shelf system designed for domestic cupboards allowed for the objects to
be lit using LEDs with no object damaging UV radiation and a soft start mechanism that meant the lights
fade on softly when the lids are opened.
The expect life span of the exhibit and available resources require it be low maintenance with
minimum change overs. Interactive elements were deliberately kept low tech and simple ie a Family
Album flip book. The two AV elements utilise low cost off-the-shelf components and are integrated so as
to not adversely impact the visitor experience should they be temporarily off-line.
4) How has your project met clear and measurable outcomes for your client/organisation and
stakeholders?
Organisation expectations:
 Enhance the visitor experience through an immersive sensory display
 Increase our connection with the HPBM community and invite them to contribute to the display
 Create an exhibition transforms a passive, unsuccessful display into an active and impactful
space
 Showcase treasures from the Hyde Park Barracks archaeology collection and use them to
illustrate the history of the site
The Female Immigration Depot is one of the most successful displays in the Hyde Park Barracks Museum
for visitors. As an active and immersive space that uses both experiential and exhibition techniques, this
room has gone from being one of the most passive and low impact spaces to now being one of the most
high-impact and high dwell time areas of the site experience. There is balance of stories in the
presentation and visitors find it an easy room to be in as it is open and active, invites exploration, peopled
and physical without being too dense. The audio guide adds explanation of room elements and histories
otherwise lost and the family album flip book invites ongoing contributions to the stories on display.
Stakeholder expectations:
 Provide an opportunity for stakeholders to share their story and contribute to the museum story
 Encourage visitors to connect with the museum on a personal level
Through the process of developing the Immigration Depot display relationships were formed with a
number of descendants of the immigrant women. The descendants’ willingness to be involved in the
project and share their stories and family photos were key to the success of the display. Their ongoing
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relationship and commitment to the museum is evidenced by repeat return visits accompanied by family
members. As recently as July this year six descendants of Margaret Hurley visited the exhibition to make
a personal connection with the place where 17 year old Margaret began her new life in Australia.
http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/2016/07/05/margaret-hurleys-descendants-visit-barracks
The museum is committed to providing an ongoing opportunity for visitors to share their story.
Measures of success
The success of the project was measured through informal visitor feedback in conjunction with audience
research undertaken by MHM in 2016. The research by MHM has indicated that the Female Immigration
Depot display has met audience needs with regard to creating a hands-on, immersive space and visitor
feedback indicates that our visitors are very impressed with the exhibition.
I loved that [female immigrants room] it was really interactive … I love the crates that open with
the stories. I loved the image of the girl on the bed and the bed and the dress up clothes … I
walked in and I got goosebumps, Immigration Depot exhibition visitor, 2016
The women’s room you could put yourself in their situation. You were seeing something an you’d
go “Oh, God, that was tough’ Immigration Depot exhibition visitor, 2016
The exhibition was frequently referenced as a highlight of the museum experience by visitors and the
success of the interpretation is evidenced by the wealth of comments expressing an emotional response
to the display.
Christine Bryan descendant of immigrant Kate Stein and Barbara Zammit descendant of immigrant Rose
McGee visit the Female Immigrant Depot at the Hyde Park Barracks Museum, Sydney
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