Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 9241 1893;
www.hht.net.au
; 58-64 Gloucester St; adult/child/family $8/4/17; 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm
Sat, Sun & school holidays; Circular Quay)
Dating from 1844, the claustrophobic Susannah Pl is
a diminutive terrace of tiny houses with a tiny shop selling tiny historical wares. My,
haven't we grown? In the backyard, check out how generations of working-class Rocks
women cooked and laundered their clothes in a wood-fired copper urn (near the outdoor
dunny). Admission is by way of guided tour.
HISTORIC BUILDING
CADMAN'S COTTAGE
Circular Quay)
Built on a now-buried beach for Government Coxswain John Cadman (a boat
and crew superintendent) in 1816, Cadman's Cottage is the inner city's oldest house. The
Sydney Water Police detained criminals here in the 1840s; it was later converted into a
home for retired sea captains. These days the cottage houses the Sydney Harbour National
It has a museum, and a glassed-off area on the lower level revealing a tangle of old
drains exposed in an archaeological dig.
ST PATRICK'S CHURCH
CHURCH
sandstone church (1844) was built on land donated by William Davis, an Irishman trans-
ported for his role in the 1798 uprisings. His home (on the site of the chapel-turned-cafe)
was arguably the first Catholic chapel in Australia; it was used for clandestine devotions
and secretly housed a consecrated host after the colony's only Catholic priest was depor-
ted in 1818.
Inside it's incredibly quiet, which makes the brass altar, the stained-glass windows and
the colourful statues of St Patrick, St Joan of Arc and St Michael (complete with dragon)
seem even more righteous. Guided tours are infrequent but worthwhile; visit the website
for details.
FOUNDATION PARK
(Gloucester Walk; Circular Quay)
Thought-provoking Foundation Park is set among the pre-
served ruins of 1870s houses, built against the cliff face. The oversized furniture by artist
Peter Cole evokes the cramped conditions once experienced by working-class Rocks fam-
ilies. It's a great place to pause in the shade and enjoy the views over The Rocks' roofs.
PARK
