Vaucluse House Centenary Open Day

In 1915 the first steps were taken to establish Vaucluse House, once the home of colonial powerhouse William Charles Wentworth - explorer, barrister and political agitator - as a public museum. 

Experience Vaucluse House at our free community open day:

• Pony rides for the children ($5 per ride), vintage games, seed planting and more

• Talks by experts and Sydney Living Museums curators

• Meet members of the La Perouse community for traditional stories with tea and damper at Vaucluse beach 

• See treasures from the collection including William Charles Wentworth’s pocket watch and the first Visitors Book from 1915

• Tastings from historic recipes in the colonial kitchen lemon barley water, ‘lemon cheese’ and white bread, mulled spiced cider and pickled fennel

• Hear the historic Collard & Collard piano being played including a rare recital of the City of Sydney Polka, composed in 1854 and dedicated to William Charles Wentworth
 
• Meet volunteers from our ‘Soft Furnishings group’ who help us to create beautiful curtains, cushions, tassels, crumb cloths and more to furnish our historic houses

• Roam the gardens, meet the animals and discover ‘fun facts’ about Vaucluse House

• Visit the charming Vaucluse House Tearooms for breakfast or lunch, or indulge in a decadent high tea (reservations essential for high tea on 02 9388 8188)

• Bring a picnic or buy light refreshments from the food truck and coffee cart

• Book into a special tour of the Vaucluse estate and nearby Wentworth Mausoleum (places are strictly limited).

Book tours here:

Estate tour (new tour on sale now!)
Mausoleum tour

Program of activities:

11am: Performance by Randwick Public School (Main stage)
Official opening and welcome to country, followed by cutting of the cake 

11am: Talk & tastings (Kitchen)

12pm–12.25pm: Talk by author Andrew Tink AM – Wentworth’s Legacy (Main stage)

12pm: Talk & tastings (Kitchen)

12.30pm–1.30pm: Aboriginal Cultural Whale Ceremony (Vaucluse beach)

1pm: Talk & tastings (Kitchen)

1.30pm–1.50pm: Talk by Sydney Living Museums’ Joanna Nicholas - 1915 and foundation of the house museum (Main stage)

2pm–2.20pm: Talk by Sydney Living Museums’ Ian Innes - Vaucluse House: past & future (Main Stage)

2pm: Talk & tastings (Kitchen)

2pm–4pm: Meet Sydney Living Museums’ curator Joanna Nicholas as you view treasures from the collection (Family History Room)

2.30pm–2.50pm: Talk by Sydney Living Musuems’ Jacqui Newling - Eat your history (Main Stage)

3pm: Talk & tastings (Kitchen)