Vaucluse House
Harbourside retreat
When an Irish knight was caught kidnapping a local heiress, his punishment was swift: exile to a single-storey cottage in NSW. Over five decades, new owners transformed the cottage into a large and picturesque estate. By the 1830s, the gardens and grounds covered most of the present-day suburb of Vaucluse but the main house of the family’s dreams was still unfinished. In 1915 Vaucluse House became Australia’s first official house museum, and continues today to delight and intrigue visitors with its stories and still-secluded grounds.
Stories
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Not a lovelier site
‘There is not a lovelier site in the known world’, wrote the Sydney-born barrister and novelist John Lang about the Wentworth family’s estate of Vaucluse
Vaucluse House
Birrabirragal and Gadigal Country
Wentworth Road, Vaucluse NSW 2030- Restaurant
Saying goodbye to spring: the jacarandas at Vaucluse House
For those who visit Vaucluse House, the annually blossoming jacarandas are a friendly and gentle reminder that spring is coming to a close for another year
Harbourside Gothic: The convict origins of Vaucluse House
Its architectural style is not all that is gothic about Vaucluse House. Discover the dark history of the house’s first owner, Henry Browne Hayes
The coolest room in the house
What practical techniques can we learn from historical building design to minimise heat and energy consumption in our homes today?
Vaucluse House kitchen garden
The Vaucluse House kitchen garden recently underwent a significant rejuvenation project to preserve the site and allow it to continue to be used as a valuable educational resource
Wentworth Mausoleum perimeter fence conservation
MHNSW is undertaking the first comprehensive conservation works to the fence surrounding the 1870s resting place of William Charles Wentworth
Learning program
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Child's Play
Students learn about what it was like to live at Vaucluse House for the wealthy family of William Charles and Sarah Wentworth, with their ten children and many servants
Related
Dinghy and kayak registration at Vaucluse Bay
The historic 10-hectare Vaucluse House estate includes the beach paddock where dinghy racks and kayak spaces are located. We manage the registration of these areas through annual permits
Shop
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Annual Giving: Sharing our stories
Your support will help us to preserve and share the stories of NSW through our places, collections, archives and programs
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