Hyde Park Barracks Museum

Another museum on the list was the Hyde Park Barracks Museum.  It is right in the heart of the CBD.   This place is actually a World Heritage listed place.   It is one of the most significant convict sites in the world.  It was a crossroads for tens of thousands of people and it played a central role in the world's largest and longest-running system of convict transportation.

The Barracks

Gates the convicts passed through

Map showing the route from England to Australia

 

Mural depicting scenes during this time

 

Mural cont'd

Sleeping barracks....it would have been miserable

 

Aram doesn't even fit 

The Barracks opened in 1819.  It's purpose was to sleep, feed, and control upwards of 600 male convicts.  It soon took on a more pivotal role.  From 1830, officials working at the barracks administered the world's most elaborate and ambitious program of convict labor and punishment at that time.  A decade later as the tide of public opinion turned, the convict transportation ended.  In 1848, when the Barracks were closed, it is estimated that 50,000 convicts had passed through the entrance gates. 

From all of our tours and exploring throughout Sydney, pretty much any large sandstone building was built by convicts as part of their hard labor.  Let me tell you what, there are plenty of these buildings.

After the transportation of convicts ended, then Hyde Park Barracks became an Immigration Depot.  Over 4000 Irish orphan girls came here.  They bunked at the Barracks, but the rooms instead had single metal framed beds.  Then they girls became hired help.  Overall it was not a very good thing.  Most employers thought these girls as un-hireable. 

Even though this is a World Heritage Listed site, it is quite a sad story for what these men, women and children went through.  It's also hard to hear people here in Australia not wanting immigrants because most of them are the offspring of immigrants.  Just keep in mind that everyone deserves a place to call home and be welcomed.

Ann & Aram

Family experience doing Whole 30

So around Christmas time I mentioned that I wanted to try out Whole 30 and pretty much if we were going to do it, we had to do it as a family.  I explained to everyone that Whole 30 is thirty days of no dairy, legumes, grains, soy, alcohol, corn and any added sugars to foods.  Luckily everyone was on board with the idea, so after the New Year we started this.  It was quite challenging here in Australia to find certain foods such as coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, any bacon without added sugars or even a rotisserie chicken that wasn't brined in sugar! Also here in Australia, compared to the States, people don't know what Whole 30 is.  There are none of the salad dressings or other foods that are specific for Whole 30 available here.

I had the Whole 30 book on my Kindle, but I also got the book from the library as well.  We began our adventure...we planned out all our meals for the first week. Surprisingly, no one was super cranky and we all enjoyed the food.  Since we were eating more protein, no one was really snacking in between meals.  Brooks and I spent time scouring the internet for recipes.  Brooks gets all the credit for cooking...it's been amazing! We survived our 30 days.  In the process of 30 days, all of us have lost at least 10 pounds.  People have had a decrease in swelling, a rash has completely disappeared that was there for years, and our allergies aren't bothered as much.  I also don't feel like we crave the bad food anymore either.  Brooks and I went to our singing group and there was candy and cookies there and I wasn't even tempted!  Right now we are doing the reintroduction process.  So we are adding in the foods we eliminated one by one to see if we have any sensitivities.

I've known about nutrition and eating whole foods, but seeing all the foods with the added sugar is just sad and disheartening.  No wonder our society is obese and overweight. I've also been doing more research on nutrition and it's so disappointing to see that government organizations that are putting out "healthy nutrition information" are actually being paid by other companies such as Coca-Cola, Cargill, Pepsi, Tyson, etc. The food and pharmacy lobbyist in DC are the ones writing the rules.   So the information is actually not correct...people don't know what is correct and what to follow on nutrition. If anyone is wanting good information, I recommend finding a registered dietician and talking to them.

Personally since starting Whole 30, I have lost 7 kg.  I sleep much better and don't need to sleep as long. My resting heart rate has also dropped from 74 to 60 beats per minute.  Before we started this, I was planning on getting a cortisone injection in my hip from the bursitis from a car accident 10 years ago, but now, it doesn't even hurt to lay on my side.

So overall we are super happy with the results and will continue to focus on eating this way.  Ask me anything if you any questions.

xoxo, Ann and Aram

Elizabeth Farm

So another museum we went to was a place called Elizabeth Farm. Here's some brief history on the house.  John Macarthur, an ambitious young lieutenant in the NSW Corps, his wife Elizabeth, and young son Edward, arrived in Sydney in 1790.  The simple cottage was built in 1793 on a grant of 100 acres near the headwaters of the river at Parramatta.

John Macarthur was a principal promoter of the Australian wool industry and experimented with the introduction of European livestock and crops to the new climate and environment.  He lucked into the wool industry--he was back in England for a court martial for dueling.  While he was there, he ran into people wondering about the wool industry in Australia.  He said they could make it work.  

He was apparently declared a lunatic in 1833 and died in 1834.  Elizabeth continued to live at the Farm until 1850.

Elizabeth Farm was own by the Swann family from 1903-1968 and they fixed up the place.  They had 12 children and they worked to fix the house up.  Of their nine daughters, eight remained in the house through their adult lives.  Educated, philanthropic and socially aware, the sisters followed careers from postmistress to dentists, music teacher to headmistress.  

After 1968, the house was sold, it was again repaired by Elizabeth Farm Museum Trust and then to the Historic Houses Trust in 1983.  The most significant items in the house are copies of furniture, toys and portraits known to have belonged to John and Elizabeth Macarthur.  

Verandah 

Entry way

Aram learning about the house via iPad tour

Inside courtyard

Kitchen

Short ceiling in the cellar

Overall this was an interesting house. It was surprising how pretty much only 2 families lived here and the structure was saved.  

Another adventure was done.  

xoxo, Ann & Aram

Elizabeth Bay House

So another house on the tour pass was Elizabeth Bay House.  This house was built between 1835-1839 for Alexander Macleay, a Colonial Secretary of NSW, and his wife Eliza and their 6 daughters.  He had 54 acres in Elizabeth. He developed a garden, which was celebrated for its botanical interest & dramatic use of the Sydney Harbour setting.

Front of the house.

Elizabeth Bay House is a superb example of Australia colonial architecture, best known for its central elliptical saloon with domed later and geometric staircase. Apparently the house's facade is severe because it is incomplete due to a severe economic depress in the 1840s and major financial distress. In 1844 Alexander's eldest son, William Sharp Macleay stepped in to save his father from bankruptcy, taking over his extensive debts but forcing him in the process to leave Elizabeth Bay House and move in with one of his married daughters.   

Grand staircase

Detail under stairs

Elliptical ceiling and dome

Master bedroom

View from the master bedroom

Morning room where daytime activities of the women occurred.

Ornate detail

Depiction of what the house should have looked like if completed

Chandelier 

Drawing room--I think.

Breakfast room

Massive doorways and frames.  And all that wallpaper!!!

Dining Room

Library

Both Alexander and William were passionate insect collects.  The collections they had were presented to the University of Sydney with an endowment for the Macleay Museum.  This library still smelled of formaldehyde and had some of the insects and cabinets from the Museum.

Overall this was a pretty cool place, but obviously never ended up as grand as it was supposed to.  Also Alexander's son, William, was a prick for kicking his father out and living in this mansion by himself.

Hope you enjoyed this post!

xoxo, Ann and Aram