Itinerary
Australia's colonial history has a checkered past, but amongst the convicts were influential colonists who were driven to develop their fortunes in the newfoundland of Australia and New South
Wales.
One family in particular were influential in settling this new territory, John and Elizabeth Macarthur were pioneers of the Australian wool industry and developed Elizabeth Farm,
Australias' oldest surviving building, which is now a favourite setting for weddings and business events, cocktail functions and dinners.
We take a guided tour through the property, enjoy
freshly made scones in the farmhouse kitchen of Elizabeth House, which, with its wide sandstone verandahs, historic interiors and a glorious 1830's reconstructed garden shows how these
industrious people lived, worked and played.
Our next destination offers a distinct contrast, a home in much grander proportions and is today one of the most treasured estates in
Sydney.
Dating back to 1803, in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Vaucluse House is surrounded by 10 hectares of picturesque gardens and grounds stretching down to Sydney Harbour. The
current sandstone mansion was built in the 1830s and was the home of William Charles Wentworth, barrister and explorer, and his family. The estate is a peaceful oasis away from the hectic city
bustle.
Vaucluse House commenced as a small stone cottage built for an Irish Knight, Sir Henry Brown Hayes. In 1827 the property changed hands to William Wentworth who dreamed of
building a family mansion in the Gothic Revival Style of Sydney's Government House.
However Wentworth's scandalous past meant that the he was always at odds with leading colonial
families, and as a result Vaucluse House grew in its own peculiar direction, quite separate to that of the colonial society in which Wentworth so desperately wanted to be part.
In more
recent times Vaucluse House was purchased by the Government to give access to the Sydney Harbour Foreshore and has been a tourist attraction since 1912. Today Vaucluse House and its 23
acres of land is one of Australia's most important intact homesteads.
Our guided tour through the house, chance to wander in the extensive grounds, plus lunch in the garden tearooms
allows us to imagine living in such a glorious location, even today, an oasis of calm in the bustling cosmopolitan city of Sydney.
Heading back to the City to hotel or cruise ship, we
pass through the exclusive suburbs and past many modern day grand homes. |
