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
Christmas at Vaucluse HouseWednesday 8 December 2021
We have been busily preparing Vaucluse House for Christmas – ribbons, paper chains and greenery abound.
School holidays
Summer 2022 opening hoursMonday 6 December 2021
Learning programs return in Term 1Thursday 18 November 2021
We are thrilled to announce bookings are now open for selected onsite learning programs in Term 1, 2022.We look forward to welcoming students and teachers back to our museums and historic houses for our immersive...
Conservation
Conservation in Action: Vaucluse House turrets completeFriday 19 March 2021
After an extraordinary few months we have completed the re-construction of the stone turrets at Vaucluse House.
Media release
Reflections on IdentityThursday 4 February 2021

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.