Victoria Barracks, Sydney
Encyclopedia
Victoria Barracks is an Australian Army
base in Sydney
, New South Wales
, Australia
. Victoria Barracks is located in the suburb
of Paddington
, between Oxford Street
and Moore Park Road. It is just north of the Moore Park
, the Sydney Cricket Ground
and Sydney Football Stadium.
Victoria Barracks houses the Headquarters Land Command and Headquarters Training Command
.
The Army Museum of NSW is housed in the original District Military Prison, constructed in 1800. It is open to visitors on Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Tours of the Barracks precinct are conducted by the Corps of Guides on Thursdays starting at 10:00 a.m.
The Regency style
Main Barracks building was constructed of Hawkesbury sandstone
by convict
s between 1841 and 1846. The first building completed was the Officers' Quarters which was completed in 1842.
The Main Barrack Block was completed in 1846 and was designed to accommodate 650 soldiers. The bell and clock were added to the building in 1856. The Barracks were originally occupied by regiments of the British Army
. The British troops vacated the Barracks in 1870. The Barracks was the premier military training site in Australia for many years, from its completion until after Federation
in 1901.
The Bungalow was built in 1847 as the Barrack Master's Residence. The Garrison Hospital was built in 1845 to accommodate 36 patients. During the 1930s it was converted into an Officers' Mess.
The gate on Oxford Street is referred to as the Queen Victoria Gate while the gate on Moore Park road is known as the Convict Gate. Busby's Bore
, was Sydney's second water supply, built by convicts between 1827 and 1837. An access shaft is located at the museum.
For a brief period during the 1930s Victoria Barracks was home to the Royal Military College, Duntroon
when the College was forced to close its buildings in Canberra
and relocate to Sydney due to the economic downturn caused by the Great Depression
.
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
base in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Victoria Barracks is located in the suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Paddington
Paddington, New South Wales
Paddington is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Paddington is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and lies across the local government areas of the City of Sydney and the Municipality of Woollahra...
, between Oxford Street
Oxford Street, Sydney
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in Sydney, Australia running from Whitlam Square on the south-east corner of Hyde Park in the central business district of Sydney to Bondi Junction in the Eastern Suburbs. Close to the CBD in particular, the street is lined with numerous shops, bars and...
and Moore Park Road. It is just north of the Moore Park
Moore Park, New South Wales
Moore Park is a large area of parkland in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of Centennial Parklands, a collective of three parks being Moore Park, Centennial Park and Queens Park. Centennial Parklands is administered by the Centennial Park &...
, the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
and Sydney Football Stadium.
Victoria Barracks houses the Headquarters Land Command and Headquarters Training Command
Headquarters Training Command
Headquarters Training Command was the headquarters of the Australian Army's Training Command , which was one of the Army's three commands. The other two where Land Command and Special Operations Command. In 2002 it relocated from Georges Heights, Sydney to Victoria Barracks, Sydney.In 2010 Training...
.
The Army Museum of NSW is housed in the original District Military Prison, constructed in 1800. It is open to visitors on Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Tours of the Barracks precinct are conducted by the Corps of Guides on Thursdays starting at 10:00 a.m.
History
Regency architecture
The Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to later buildings following the same style...
Main Barracks building was constructed of Hawkesbury sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
by convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
s between 1841 and 1846. The first building completed was the Officers' Quarters which was completed in 1842.
The Main Barrack Block was completed in 1846 and was designed to accommodate 650 soldiers. The bell and clock were added to the building in 1856. The Barracks were originally occupied by regiments of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. The British troops vacated the Barracks in 1870. The Barracks was the premier military training site in Australia for many years, from its completion until after Federation
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
in 1901.
The Bungalow was built in 1847 as the Barrack Master's Residence. The Garrison Hospital was built in 1845 to accommodate 36 patients. During the 1930s it was converted into an Officers' Mess.
The gate on Oxford Street is referred to as the Queen Victoria Gate while the gate on Moore Park road is known as the Convict Gate. Busby's Bore
Busby's Bore
Busby's Bore was Sydney's second water supply. It was built by convict labour and completed in 1830.-History:By the 1820s, the Tank Stream, Sydney's original water supply, was in dire straits...
, was Sydney's second water supply, built by convicts between 1827 and 1837. An access shaft is located at the museum.
For a brief period during the 1930s Victoria Barracks was home to the Royal Military College, Duntroon
Royal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
when the College was forced to close its buildings in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
and relocate to Sydney due to the economic downturn caused by the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
External links
- Information page Australian War Memorial