Museum Archives - Page 38 of 44 - Destination's Journey

10 September 201810 September 2018

Justice and Police Museum

Located opposite the eastern end of Circular Quay the Justice and Police Museum is very easy to get to. Outside there are silhouettes of criminals, which look fantastic, and a great photo opportunity. Unfortunately the museum is only open on weekends, so if you want to visit, keep this in mind. The building consists of the old water police office and courtroom, the old police watch house, holding cells and their old courtroom.

Criminal Silhouettes

The museum would be worth visiting just for the buildings themselves as the courtroom was designed by James Barnet. The courtroom still has the prisoners’ dock present and the watch house has the front desk and interrogation dock present.

Prisoners’ Dock
Police Desk

The old holding cells have displays of old mug shots showing how they evolved with time. Some notorious criminals have their crimes and mugshots on the walls (the criminals in the 20’s got to pose how they wanted ……. just a small bit of knowledge learnt on the day) along with a display of weaponry, both police and criminal.

Old Mug Shots
Weapons on Display

The volunteers present were fantastic and made our visit memorable. They gave us a better insight into the operation of the building, took fingerprints and explained the operation of the station and treatment of the criminals.

A great place to visit, see some mug shots, read some criminal history, see some cells and courtrooms all in an hour. This is a little museum, but very well set up and interesting! Would definitely visit her again.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

1 September 201829 March 2022

Vatican City and Saint Peter’s Basilica

Vatican City

While visiting Rome we wanted to go to the Vatican City to see the great artworks there as well as Saint Peter’s Basilica. Research showed that the crowds in the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel could become overwhelming, so we chose to do an early entry tour with limited participants.

Fontana della Pigna Vatican City — St Peter’s Basilica

We met our guide and other tourists at the Vatican Museum Entrance. She
provided us with earphones so that we could hear her commentary and followed her inside and past the huge queues already waiting to enter. This was where we discovered that although this tour had limited members and we did indeed enter before the general entrants, there were dozens of other priority groups going in with us.

Vatican Museums

We slowly walked through the Vatican Museums, which are magnificent. If what we did was considered not crowded, general entry must be unbearable. We were able to see everything, from the sculptures to the ornate ceilings and the guide provided a fantastic commentary that we really enjoyed.

Bramante Staircase Vatican City — Bramante Staircase

Vatican Museum Ceiling Vatican City — Bramante Staircase

Raphael Rooms

Our next stop was the Raphael Rooms which were as amazing as we expected them to be and here we were able to take time to contemplate the artworks.

Sistine Chapel

The highlight of the tour, as expected was Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. No photographs are permitted here, and silence is expected. There are guards that enforce these rules. We spent 15 minutes admiring this cultural marvel before we had to leave.

Saint Peter’s Basilica

Saint Peter’s Basilica is even larger than we expected. To demonstrate its size, the central aisle has the other great Cathedrals marked out for comparison. Sydney’s St Mary’s is tiny compared to Saint Peter’s. There are artworks, sculptures and tombs on display that would take days to appreciate fully. After showing us the highlights of the Basilica, our guide left us here. We spent hours looking here and down in the crypt where many past popes are interred.

As with many places, there is a gift shop and a dedicated post office to send cards from the Vatican City.

What Did We Think?

The Vatican City is an amazing place to visit, even if you are not religious. The volumes of artworks and the historical significance make it a fascinating place to visit. The guide provided an amazing insight into the history and workings of the Vatican that we would otherwise not have had. A fantastic half day that we really enjoyed.

24 August 201824 August 2018

La Perouse Sydney Australia

La Perouse

La Perouse is a Sydney suburb on the shores of Botany Bay and home to some historic locations and scenic views. The suburb takes its name from the French explorer La Perouse who arrived here in 1788 eight days after the first fleet arrived from England. Never seen again after sailing into the Pacific his disappearance remained a mystery for decades. It was not until 1828 that a French expedition determined that the La Pérouse expedition was wrecked at Vanikoro, Santa Cruz, north of the New Hebrides Several memorials to him and his crew are near the museum.

We parked on ANZAC Parade as there was plenty of available spaces. From here we walked around the area taking in the views as we went. There are beautiful views of the coast, Conwong Beach and Bare Island from Anzac Parade.

Congwong Beach La Perouse Sydney — Congwong Beach

Bare Island

Bare Island was our first stop but was closed to the public when we visited. The foot bridge was open which gave us a good look at one side of the fort as well as back to the headland and beaches. The old fort gives Bare Island a unique appearance making is worth going to. The fort was part of Sydney’s original defences but is now disused. You will need to find opening days and times before visiting if you want to go onto the actual island.

Memorials and Graves

Walking back to the mainland we stopped to look at Macquarie Watchtower before having a walk around the foreshore and Frenchman’s Beach. A memorial erected by the French to honour La Perouse overlooks Botany Bay, near the Museum. The second European buried in Australia, Father Louis Receveur has his gave not far from the Memorial. The first European buried in Australia was one of Captain Cook’s crew in 1770. His grave is located across the water in Kamay Botany Bay National Park, which we had visited that morning.

Grave of Father Louis Receveur La Perouse Sydney — Grave of Father Louis Receveur

Macquarie Watch Tower La Perouse Sydney — Macquarie Watch Tower

La Perouse Museum

The museum has items from French explorers which are very interesting. It has a nice little café with nice seating outside looking over the coast and Frenchman’s Beach.

A great place to visit with a range of things to see and do, from early European history to nice walks and scenery.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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Category: Museum

Justice and Police Museum

Justice and Police Museum

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