Wattle and daub

Early huts in Sydney were often made from materials found in the local environment. Sturdy wooden posts, with thinner branches woven in-between created a wall, and then this was covered with clay or mud to make it solid. However, the walls were easily damaged by Sydney’s severe weather, especially heavy rain.

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Convict Sydney

James Hardy Vaux

Some convicts were transported more than once. Vaux was sent to the colony three times, each time arriving under a different name

St James’ Church Under Construction on Gadigal Country model
Convict Sydney

Pick of the crop

Convicts could earn good money doing private work, so many tried to conceal their skills during the initial muster to avoid being assigned to government projects

Letter containing a statement of absolute pardon for Samuel Henry Horn (more often known as  Horne), dated 1830 and signed by Governor Richard Bourke in 1832

Convict turned constable

A recently donated letter, signed by the governor of NSW in 1832, offers a tangible connection to the story of Samuel Horne, a convict who rose to the rank of district chief constable in the NSW Police