Historic Places To Visit Around Sydney: Nielsen Park, Vaucluse: Greycliffe Estate and Fort

Greycliffe House, in the Sydney suburb of Vaucluse, NSW, was built in the neo-Gothic style and completed in 1851.

John Reeve, a wealthy pastoralist from Gippsland, married Fanny Wentworth (1829–1893), the daughter of William Charles Wentworth, owner of nearby Vaucluse House, and had Greycliffe House built.

Reeve commissioned architect John Frederick Hilly to design the Shark Bay villa, with its stunning ocean views.

The property also has, a detached sandstone coach house with staff quarters in the attic and a small building called Gardener's Cottage.

Oddly enough, the Reeve's travelled to England in 1854, never to return, and so never lived in the house.

Many prominent Sydney families later lived in the house.

In February 1897, Greycliffe House was damaged by fire.

In 1911, Greycliffe House was transferred to public ownership. In 1913, Greycliffe became the first babies' hospital.

Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 29 October 1913

A HOSPITAL FOR BABIES. Greycliffe, the former home of the Wentworth family, was purchased some years ago by the Government, and is now known as “The Lady Edeline Hospital. The Lone hand. New Series Vol. 7 No. 9 (1 August 1917)

(Method of nursing an immature baby)At Greycliffe, where sick babies are admitted from .birth up to the age of two yearsSunday Times (Sydney, NSW : 1895 - 1930), Sunday 15 July 1917

In the Grounds of Lady Edeline Hospital, Greycliffe, Vaucluse., Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 2 October 1918

The Battery

In 1870 Britain withdrew its garrisons from Sydney, and part of the Greycliffe Estate was allocated for defence.

A battery at Shark Point, now known as Steele Point, began construction in 1871, designed by colonial architect James Barnet.

In 1872, three 80-pounder rifled muzzle-loading guns were installed.

The battery was completed in 1874, and additional barracks were added in 1880.

Steel Point, Vaucluse, NSW, Illustrated Sydney News (NSW : 1881 - 1894), Thursday 4 April 1889

Steel Point Cottage, built in the 1880s as a gunner's barracks to protect Sydney Harbour, was linked by a tunnel to the adjacent 1871 battery. This building is now rented as accommodation.

The last version of the the battery had three sandstone gun emplacements or pits with embrasures for the guns to fire through. The pits were connected by open passages and covered passages that led into underground chambers that consisted of a gunpowder magazine, a shell and artillery store and two shell and lamp recesses built of stone. The site also had its own living quarters for staff.

In 1889, it was reported that the guns at Steel Point were "were quite useless, being choked with rust". (1.)

The remains of the battery are now located within Neilsen Park, at Greycliffe Avenue, Vaucluse, NSW.

Today, you can visit Greycliffe House and Garden or even get married there.

At Vaucluse Point on Bottle & Glass Rock there are the remnants of Aboriginal rock art on the traditional lands of the Birrabirragal people.

Around Greycliffe Estate and Fort