Vaucluse
House
A spectacular refurbishment, new immersive experiences and self-guided audio tour; get closer than ever to the fascinating story of Vaucluse House.

Fountain, Vaucluse House. Photo © Doug Riley for Sydney Living Museums
Entry
Adult | $15
Concession | $12
Family | $38
Members | Free of charge
Children under 5 years | Free of charge
*2 adults & 2 children or 1 adult & 3 children
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Vaucluse House is one of Sydney’s few 19th-century mansions still surrounded by its original gardens and wooded grounds. When the towering colonial explorer, barrister and politician William Charles Wentworth bought the house in 1827, it was a single-storey cottage in a secluded valley of partly cleared coastal scrub. In fits and starts over the next five decades, William and his wife Sarah developed Vaucluse into a large and picturesque estate. The grounds were extended and flourished to cover most of the present-day suburb of Vaucluse but the main house of the family’s dreams was left unfinished. In 1915 Vaucluse House became Australia’s first official house museum and continues to entice visitors to its lush and still secluded grounds. In 2015, Vaucluse House celebrated 100 years of being a museum.
The latest at Vaucluse House
Vaucluse House
Inspiring Iridescent: Vaucluse HouseThursday 21 April 2022
Conservation
How to manage mould in our homesMonday 21 March 2022
To help you manage mould at home, we’re sharing insights into how we manage mould in our house museums and some tips you can use to tackle mould at your house.
Vaucluse House
Before tending to a waterlogged garden, test the ground...Monday 14 March 2022
New online
Year in review: 2021Thursday 3 March 2022
Children & Family
Celebrate Easter with usTuesday 1 March 2022

The gardens and grounds at Vaucluse House are part of a grand and romantic vision of landscape, preserved in Sydney’s best-surviving mid-1800s estate. Discover the splendid pleasure garden, Victorian kitchen garden and idyllic natural setting on the edge of Sydney Harbour.
Stories from Vaucluse House

Some of those who gathered for William Charles Wentworth’s funeral in 1873 imagined that one day the mausoleum at Vaucluse House would become a place of pilgrimage for Australians. Find out why.