A place for the friendless female

Sydney’s female immigration depot was housed at the Hyde Park Barracks.

During its 38 years of operation the depot received thousands of working-class Irish, English, Scottish and Welsh female immigrants. This new display explored the immigrant women's voyages to the colony, Irish orphans who stayed at the depot, Caroline Chisholm's contribution to female immigration, and the archaeology associated with these women recovered from beneath the barracks' floors.

Visit the online exhibition: A place for the friendless female: Sydney’s female immigration depot

The Migration Heritage Centre is a NSW Government initiative supported by the Community Relations Commission.

The Female Immigration Depot housed at Hyde Park Barracks from 1848 to 1886 was the primary reception and hiring depot in Sydney for 'unprotected' females.