Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
savour the unusual peace
that descends on many
harbour beaches on an
endless sunny day. It is also
an ideal vantage point from
which to enjoy a pectacular
summer sunset or simply to
observe the coming and
going of ferries and the
meandering harbour traffic.
In the midst of this tranquil
setting, enhancing its charm,
stands Greycliffe House with
its decorative gables and
ornate chimney stacks. This
Victorian Gothic mansion was
completed in 1852 for WC
Wentworth's daughter.
Façade of Vaucluse House, with its garden and fountain
Vaucluse House
e
Wentworth Rd, Vaucluse.
Tel
9388
7922.
style and the house contains
furniture that belonged to the
Wentworth family. A popular
tea house is in the grounds.
Watsons Bay
t
@
9:30am-4pm Fri-
Sun (daily in Jan, NSW school hols &
public hols).
@
325.
#
Watsons Bay.
See
Four Guided Walks
pp148-9.
324, 325.
g
¢
Good Fri, 25 Dec.
&
6
7
limited.
8
As the base for the boats
that take the pilots out to
arriving ships, this pretty bay
has long been a vital part of
the working harbour. It is also
the home of Doyle's famous
waterfront seafood restaurant,
long a magnet for Sydneysiders
and visitors alike.
Just up the hill and almost
opposite the bay on the ocean
side is The Gap, a spectacular
cliff with tragic associations.
Many troubled people have
taken a suicidal leap from this
rugged cliff on to the wave-
lashed rocks below.
It was here that the ill-fated
ship
Dunbar
was wrecked in
1857, with the loss of all but
one of its 122 passengers and
crew. Treacherous conditions
had led to miscalculation of
the ship's distance from the
Heads. All hands were ordered
Tradition has it that the most
riotous party colonial Sydney
ever saw took place on the
Vaucluse House lawns in
1831. WC Wentworth and
4,000 of his political cronies
gathered there to celebrate the
recall to England of Governor
Ralph Darling, the arch-enemy.
WC Wentworth was a major
figure in the colony, being one
of the first three Europeans to
cross the Blue Mountains
(see
pp160-61)
. He was the son of
a female convict and a physi-
cian forced to “volunteer” his
services to the new colony in
order to avoid conviction on
a highway robbery charge.
The younger Wentworth
became an author, barrister and
statesman who stood for the
Australian-born “currency” lads
and lasses against the “sterling”
English-born. He lived here
with his family from 1829-53,
during which time he drafted
the Constitution Bill, giving
self-government to the state.
Vaucluse House was begun
in 1803 by Sir Henry Browne
Hayes, a knight of the realm
transported for kidnapping a
Quaker heiress. Sitting com-
fortably in 11 ha (27 acres) of
parkland, natural bush and
cultivated gardens, this Gothic
Revival house, with its many
idiosyncratic additions, resem-
bles a West Indian plantation
house. The interior and grounds
have been restored to 1840s
Greycliffe House, in the tranquil
grounds of Nielsen Park
Nielsen Park
r
@
325.
#
Sunrise-10pm daily.
Part of the Sydney Harbour
National Park, Nielsen Park,
with its grassy expanses, sandy
beach and netted swimming
pool, is the perfect spot for a
family picnic. Here visitors can
View over Watsons Bay, looking southwest towards the city
