Chains of Empire

Chains of Empire explores Australia’s history with Atlantic Ocean slave trade and the effects of Britain abolishing slavery across its empire in 1833.

Developed in collaboration with a team of Australia’s leading historians from University of Western Australia, Edith Cowan University and the University of Melbourne, with First Nations guidance, this exhibit reveals the legacies of British slavery across Australia and highlights the real stories of the trials and suffering of indentured workers. 

Supported by the Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP200100094.  

Please note that this exhibit may be distressing for some visitors. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that the exhibit includes references to, and images of, ancestors who are deceased. 

Image: South Sea Islander women working in the sugar cane fields at Hambledon, Queensland, ca. 1891. (n.d.). State Library of Queensland.