On 27 August 1827 William Charles Wentworth, Blue Mountains explorer, barrister, author and co-editor and publisher of THE AUSTRALIAN newspaper, purchased the estate from Captain John Piper. An additional grant brought the harbourside estate to 515 acres.

Wentworth used Vaucluse as a family home and as a setting to enhance his status as a public figure. By the 1830s the Wentworth family had made many visible improvements at Vaucluse, including turrets on the house, a sandstone stable in 1829 by architect George Cookney, a large kitchen wing and convict barracks. Vaucluse House and its furnishings were clearly intended to provide the correct social surroundings for Wentworth and his wife Sarah’s immediate family of seven daughters and three sons.

In 1915 Vaucluse House became Australia’s first official house museum and continues to entice visitors to its lush and still secluded grounds.

Watsons Bay sits on the end of the South Head peninsula and takes its name from the sheltered bay and anchorage on its western side, in Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour). It provides views across the harbour to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Watsons Bay is home to the seafood institution Doyles. Doyles on the Wharf, where the ferry docks, serves takeaway fish ‘n’ chips which can be enjoyed at nearby Robertson Park.

Hornby Lighthouse stands tall at South Head, near Watsons Bay in Sydney Harbour National Park. The iconic red and white striped tower is surrounded by magnificent views: Sydney Harbour to the west, Middle Head and North Head to the north, and the expansive Pacific Ocean to the east. It’s a great spot for whale watching in winter.

Gap Park is located on a coastal escarpment on Sydney Harbour’s South Head. It has spectacular views of both the harbour and the sea. There are a series of basic paths amidst windswept native coastal vegetation that traverse the cliff tops. The area is one of Sydney’s most popular tourist destinations. It attracts international and national visitors, and local residents who use the park for walking, harbour and ocean viewing, bird watching, whale watching and spectating major harbour events. Additionally the park supports a rich history containing early fortifications, shipwreck relics, and disused gun placements from past wars.

On this windswept peninsula of weathering sandstone stands Macquarie Lighthouse, Australia’s first and longest operating navigational light. Built in 1883, this is the second lighthouse on South Head. The first was constructed in 1818. The Lighthouse is still operational and the cottages are leased for private purposes. The grounds are open to the public daily and offer magnificent views of the City and Harbour. Lighthouse tours are conducted every second month.