Governor Lachlan Macquarie ordered the construction of brickwork to house convicts until 1838 who had to work for the colonial government of New South Wales. With this building, Macquarie deviated from the previously practiced British colonial policy of creating convict camps in which strict discipline and religious education were practiced, thereby liberalising them. From 1848 to 1886 it was used for young immigrants looking for work and waiting for their families. From 1887 to 1979 it housed courts and government offices.
In 1981 the building was restored and today it houses a museum about the history of the convicts. In July 2010 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of a selected set of Australian Convict Sites.[3]
The museum can be visited daily with a few exceptions on certain days and certain public holidays.
