During excavations for the V by Crown development, the remains of early European convict settlements were discovered. Archaeological analysis revealed these huts to have been established during the first wave of European settlement in Australia.
FRD developed this exhibition in situ, drawing stories from more than 18,000 artefacts discovered at the site. Excavation revealed these artefacts within clear stratigraphic layers, outlining a clear temporal progression. This clarity enabled FRD to tell the stories of those people who lived and worked within the huts, outlining individual progressions from convict to wheelwright or tailor to hotel owner. These stories are supported by the artefacts themselves, many of which are utilised throughout the exhibition in purpose-built display cases or entombed within large slabs of resin. A large-scale multimedia intervention outlines the excavation process at each phase of activity, displaying the tools and methodologies employed by the archaeologists. Graphic installations and three-dimensional exhibition components frame this archaeology clearly for the visitor, further enhanced by a platform allowing the site to be viewed from above.
