Camperdown Cemetery, Sydney, NSW

Camperdown Cemetery near Newton, NSW, first opened in 1849 but was shown on a city in a plan, dated 1822, as "the new burying- ground". 

Camperdown succeeded the Elizabeth Street cemetery and an older cemetery in George Street that occupied the site of the present Town Hall.

Near the cemetery entrance, lays the remains of Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, surveyor and explorer, who died at Carthona, Darling Point, 4th October, 1855.
Also buried at the cemetery are Aboriginal men: Mogo who died on the 5th of October 1850, and. William Perry, who died 25th September 1849. In 1931, their graves were decorated with shells, and
the headstones were officially unveiled at the Dunbar ceremony on August 22. (1.)

The "Dunbar" grave in Camperdown cemetery remembers the victims of a tragic maritime disaster, the wreck of the Dunbar in 1857.

On the night of 20 August 1857, or early in the morning of 21 August 1857, the Dunbar was wrecked near the South Head Signal Sation. There was only one survivor, James Johnson, and about 121 people perished.

The Dunbar funeral had seven hearses, the last containing the body of Captain Steane, a retired naval officer, guarded by mounted police.

Other notable people buried here are Sir Maurice O'Connell, (d. 1848) Colonel of H.M. 80th Regiment, Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales and interestingly, Nicholas Charles Boscha, one-time harpist to Napoleon.
An 1875 Charles Bayliss photo of St. Stephen's Church in Camperdown, NSW. The cemetery was founded in 
1848.
Another musician, Lewis Henry Lavenu, A.R.A.M., is buried alongside his tutor Bochsa, and his fellow English composer Isaac Nathan. Lavenu died during the grand festival to inaugurate the new Great Hall of the University of Sydney in 1859.

Captain Sir James Everard Home, 2nd Baronet, RN CB FRS (25 October 1798 – 1 November 1853), commanding H.M.S. Calliope, was buried at the Camperdown cemetery. He was a British surgeon.and brother-in-law, of John Hunter.

Eliza Emily Donnithorne, a reclusive eccentric, who lived at 36 King Street, Newtown, is believed to be the inspiration for the character of Miss Havisham in Charles Dickens' 1861 novel Great Expectations. Read here

Bathsheba Ghost, who was matron of Sydney Hospital from 1852 to 1866, died at the hospital on August 12, 1866, and was buried in Camperdown Cemetery.

Paupers were often buried in the north west corner fronting Federation Road. Read more

There are so many other well-known names in this cemetery, such as Simon Rood Pittard, the first curator of the Australian Museum, who died in August 1861. And so many more.
AN ABORIGINAL'S GRAVE IN THE CAMPERDOWN CEMETERY. In conjunction with theDunbar commemorationSydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938), Wednesday 26 August 1931
WHILE WORKMEN were digging air-raid trenches at the old Camperdown Cemetery , they uncovered a coffin. The men were subsequently taken off the job and the council has ordered the trenches to be filled in. Pill-boxes will be built instead. Camper-down Cemetery has not been used for more than 20 years .Daily Mirror (Sydney, NSW : 1941 - 1955), Wednesday 22 July 1942
Tribune (Sydney, NSW : 1939 - 1991), Tuesday 25 June 1946,
Camperdown Cemetery, Newtown, Sydney, NSW - 1951

 Around Camperdown Cemetery

The Cemetery Lodge/The Sextons Lodge, NSW ~ Camperdown A small cottage in the Colonial Neo-Gothic style built in 1848 and located on the grounds of Camperdown Cemetery.
Charles Windeyer Frist Mayor Of Sydney, buried at .Camperdown Cemetery, NSW.
John Leys Foreman Engineer Morts Dock Sydney, buried at Camperdown Cemetery, NSW
Camperdown Cemetery, NSW.
Camperdown Cemetery, Sydney, NSW. The grave of Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell (Major Mitchell), Surveyor General.

Things To Do

Location: 189 Church St, Newtown NSW 2042.

Burials at Camperdown Cemetery

Susannah Place Museum: The Rocks


Governor Arthur Phillip in 1792 defined the boundaries of settlement: east of the Tank Stream were the residences of the Governor and civil authorities; west of the Tank Stream were the military barracks, parade ground and hospital. The convicts, however, began to occupy the sandstone ridges (The Rocks) above Sydney Cove's western foreshores.

Susannah Place Museum is a historic house museum, situated in The Rocks, Sydney. It is a block of four terrace houses built for four working-class Irish immigrants in 1844.

Edward and Mary Riley arrived from Ireland with their niece Susannah in 1838. Their house is typical to the area, of brick and sandstone houses and features a basement kitchen and backyard outhouse. 
The Rocks from Government House, NSW, circa 1858, courtesy of the City of Sydney Archives
"I have never seen such a miserable class of houses as that on The Rocks. I know two or three houses which are not larger than this room, two or three families living in one house."
– 1859 Select Committee on the Condition of the Working Classes

These four houses, now Susannah Place Museum, were home to more than 100 families over nearly 150 years.

The buildings have survived numerous demolition threats. In 1900, a Bubonic plague led to hundreds of neighbouring properties being demolished. Then, in the 1920s, a three-street-wide-section of The Rocks was cleared to make way for the Harbour Bridge approaches. 
WIPING OUT THE SLUMS. Amount The Rocks at Miller's Point, NSW,Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1883 - 1930), Friday 30 October 1908
In the 1970s, we can be thankful for the "Green bans" imposed by the Builders Labourer's Federation, which stopped may demolitions and redevelopment projects. These irreplaceable buildings would have been lost forever.

Sydney Cove is part of the lands of the Cadigal people of the Eora nation. However, the absence of an archaeological record for the Cadigal (even allowing for large-scale city development) has led Emeritus Professor Grace Karskens to believe that Sydney Cove was likely to be border country for the Eora nation, and therefore, may not have been inhabited prior to European settlement.

Around Susannah Place Museum

Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, NSW
Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, NSW
Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, NSW
Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks, NSW

Things To Do

Susannah Place Museum

Address: 58/64 Gloucester St, The Rocks NSW 2000

Telephone: 0292411893

More Information here

Justice & Police Museum of Sydney


Justice & Police Museum of Sydney
The Justice & Police Museum, Sydney, was designed by the Colonial Architect Edmund Blacket and built in 1855 as the Water Police Court.

There are many historic, seedy and serious stories to learn about Sydney's police and gangsters at this museum.
The prisoner's pen at the Water Police Court. Illustrated Sydney News (NSW : 1881 - 1894), Thursday 4 April 1889,
There are those who feature at the museum, who made fortunes selling "sly grog" during the Roaring Twenties.

The Twenties were a golden era for Sydney’s female criminals, such as the notorious criminal Kate Leigh.
This Notorious Woman and Her Chauffer (the notorious criminal Kate Leigh). Truth (Sydney, NSW : 1894 - 1954), Sunday 10 February 1929,
Another 1920s story surrounds hotel cleaner "Harry Leon Crawford", who was arrested and charged with his wife’s murder in 1920. 

It was soon revealed that Harry was, in fact, Eugenia Falleni, a woman and mother who had been passing as a man since 1899.
Harry was, in fact, Eugenia Falleni, a woman and mother who had been passing as a man since 1899.
Learn about Sydney's "Aboriginal Trackers", including the legendary officer. Alexander "Alec" Riley. During his 40-year career he became the first Aboriginal man to attain the rank of Tracker Sergeant.
Sydney's "Aboriginal Trackers", including the legendary officer. Alexander "Alec" Riley. During his 40-year career he became the first Aboriginal man to attain the rank of Tracker Sergeant.Sunday Herald (Sydney, NSW : 1949 - 1953), Sunday 9 July 1950

At The Justice & Police Museum of Sydney

Justice & Police Museum of Sydney
Justice & Police Museum of Sydney
Look through hatch in metal door to police holding cell at the Justice & Police MuseumJustice & Police Museum of Sydney

Places To Go

Located: Corner of Phillip Street, Albert Street, Circular Quay NSW 2000

Cost: Free entry

Accessibility: Welcomes people with access needs

Sail on A Tall Ship in Sydney


Replica of HMB Endeavour, Sydney, NSW

HMB Endeavour

The Endeavour voyage commanded by James Cook between 1768 and 1771, on a 30m coal carrier, was a long and often perilous combined Royal Navy and Royal Society expedition to the south Pacific Ocean.

The two main purposes of the expedition were to measure the distance from the Earth to the Sun and find the unknown "Great South Land" and claim it for Britain..

The first task required the Endeavour to sail to Tahiti to measure the "transit" of the planet Venus as it moved across the face of the Sun.

However, the expedition did not find the hypothetical "Great South Land", believed to be a huge continent the size of Europe, which was thought to balance the globe.

Instead, Captain Cook reached the southern coast of New South Wales in 1770 and sailed north, charting Australia's eastern coastline and claiming the eastern portion of the Australian continent for the British Crown.

Cook's epic journeys proved that he was one of the greatest navigators in history. And without a chronometer, his maps had incredible accuracy.

James Cook's HMB Endeavour, built in Australia, is one of the world's most accurate maritime replica vessels.

This beautifully crafted ship has 30 kilometres of rigging and 750 wooden blocks or pulleys. The masts and spars carry 28 sails that spread approximately 10,000 sq feet (930 m2) of canvas.

Below decks, in the galley, there is a huge stove called a firehearth and a relica of the Great Cabin where Cook worked and dined, along with famous botanist Joseph Banks.

The Endeavour replica began construction in 1988, and was launched 5 years later.

When it is out at sea, you can track the Endeavour over at marinetraffic.com (search for "HMB Endeavour").

To find out about voyages in the Endeavour and when open to the public. see here.

Replica of the Duyfken, Sydney, NSW

Duyfken 

In 1606, the Duyfken ("little dove"), constructed in the Netherlands under the command of Willem Janszoon, was the first European ship to reach the Australian coastline. 

The charting of some of Australia's coast allowed all of the world's inhabited continents to appear on a single map for the first time.

Janszoon encountered and then charted the shores of Australia's Cape York Peninsula and made landfall at the Pennefather River in the Gulf of Carpentaria. This is the first authenticated sighting of Australia by Europeans.

There was violent conflict between the Duyfken crew and Aboriginal people, and a number of crew members died.

The Duyfken replica was built in Fremantle in the late 1990s.

In 1999, the replica Duyfken undertook an expedition to Banda in Indonesia and sailed on a reenactment voyage to the Pennefather River in Queensland.

Today, you can cruise Sydney Harbour on the Duyfken replica.

The Duyfken sailing experience is for adults and not children. Children 12 years of age or over are welcome, if accompanied by an adult.

More information on Duyfken cruises here

Things To Do





Belgenny Farm, Historic Camden Park Estate, NSW

Camden Park House is one of Australia's most important Georgian Houses. Designed by Architect John Verge and completed in 1835
John Macarthur, who introduced merino sheep into Australia  in 1797 and founded the Australian wool industry, along with his wife Elizabeth, was born in 1767 near Plymouth, in Devonshire, England.

Interestingly, John Macarthur's father, was the sole survivor of seven brothers who fought at Culloden for Bonnie Prince Charlie.

John, who had joined the NSW Corp., was sent to serve as a Lieutenant on the Second Fleet in the newly established convict settlement founded under Governor Phillip in 1788.

In a document dated February 28, 1793, MacArthur was granted land on the Parramatta River, which he called “Elizabeth Farm,” in honour of his wife. (Elizabeth farm is open to visitors)

After a duel with his commanding officer, William Paterson, John MacArthur was sent to England in 1801. But powerful friends ensured he was not court-martialled. Instead, he returned to Sydney in 1805 with a large land grant that would become Camden Park. 
John Macarthur (1767-1834)
The first structure built at Camden Park was a slab and bark hut, referred to as the "miserable hut" by Governor Macquarie.

Elizabeth and John were very devoted to each other, and John respected his wife's skills as she managed and expanded the sheep, farms and business.

It is said that Australia was "built on the sheep's back", as this was the foundation of the prosperity we enjoy today.

In January 1808, John Macarthur’s role in the military overthrow of Governor Bligh (“rum rebellion”) led to him being sent to England again, this time for eight years.

John resigned his commission in the early 1800s, to concentrate on his pastoral interests.

Governor Darling said of John, "[he] is a man of strong passions, and observes no medium in anything. He is equally ardent in his desire to serve as he is to injure".

John was volatile, aloof, egotistical and scheming, and yet, he had many achievements, was shrewd and resourceful and was loyal to his wife and family.

One of the first commercial vineyards in Australia was established on the Camden Park Estate in 1820.

In 1821, the Macarthur's built Belgenny Farm House, known as the "Camden Park Home Farm", one of the oldest surviving farm structures in Australia.
Park Estate, NSW, Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), Wednesday 22 February 190

However, John, who may have had bipolar disorder, was rapidly losing his reason. 

“John Macarthur … for these three months last past, (has) been so depressed of his reason and understanding that he is altogether unfit and unable to govern himself or to manage his own affairs.”
Elizabeth Macarthur (nee Veale) 1766 - 1850
John died in April 1834, aged 65, and was buried at Camden Park.
Camden Park's annual open weekend, is held on the second last full weekend of September.

The gardens surrounding Camden Park are the largest and most intact early colonial garden in Australia.

Located on the traditional lands of the Dharawal people.

Around Camden Park Estate

Belgenny Farm was established by John and Elizabeth Macarthur in 1805 and contains the earliest collection of colonial farm buildings in Australia
The main stables were built in the 1820s and are among the oldest surviving farm buildings in Australia (Belgenny Farm House, known as the "Camden Park Home Farm")
Belgenny cottage, Camden Park Estate, NSW

Places To Go

(02) 4655 8466
Elizabeth Macarthur Ave, Camden South, NSW

Elizabeth Farm, home of wool pioneers John and Elizabeth Macarthur

Elizabeth Farm  was built in 1793 for  John and Elizabeth Macarthur and their family
Elizabeth Farm, home of wool pioneers John and Elizabeth Macarthur, Australia's oldest homestead, is located at 70 Alice Street, Rosehill, Sydney, NSW.
The Governor' s House at Rose Hill, NSW — From an Early Sketch
The Macarthur's arrived at Port Jackson in June 1790, with the Second Fleet.

On arrival, John MacArthur was appointed commandant to Parramatta, and in 1793, he was granted 100 acres at Rose Hill.

The construction of Elizabeth Farm began in 1793. By 1794, the Macarthur's had 20 acres of wheat, 80 acres of corn and potatoes and livestock including horses, cows, goats, and pigs. In 1797, John Macarthur imported merino sheep (3 rams and 5 ewes) for Elizabeth Farm.

Elizabeth Farm  was built in 1793 for  John and Elizabeth Macarthur and their family, Land (Sydney, NSW : 1911 - 1954), Wednesday 20 October 1948,
Elizabeth Macarthur was integral to the establishment of the local wool industry, which lay the foundations of Australian prosperity. 

She managed the farm and the family during her husbands long absences oversea, from 1801 to 1805 and from 1809 to 1817 (John Macarthur was in England for his part in the Rum Rebellion)

In 1800, a sample of John Macarthur's wool was sent to England by Governor King.

John Macather wrote In 1810:

I am perfectly aware, my beloved wife, of the difficulties you have to contend with, and fully convinced that not one woman in a thousand, would have resolution and perseverance to contend with them all, much more to surmount them in the manner that you have so happily done. . . . I am grateful and delighted with your conduct.

Elizabeth was concerned with the welfare of women convicts and Aboriginal people but lost some of her sympathy with the growing toll of friends killed by the natives.
John Macarthur (1767?-1834)
Elizabeth Macarthur (1766-1850)
John Macarthur later lived between Elizabeth Farm and at Camden, where he had a residence.

John Macarther who had engaged in many feuds and vendettas, became mentally unwell. Elizabeth wrote that he “labours under a partial derangement of mind” (likely bipolar affective disorder). He died 11 April 1834.

Elizabeth continued to successfully run the enterprises until her death in 1850.

The Elizabeth Farm estate is managed by Sydney Living Museums and is open to the public.

Rose Hill is part of the traditional land of the Darug people.

Around Elizabeth Farm

Elizabeth Farm was built in 1793 for John and Elizabeth Macarthur and their family
Elizabeth Farm was built in 1793 for  John and Elizabeth Macarthur and their family
Elizabeth Farm  was uilt in 1793 for  John and Elizabeth Macarthur and their family
This early Victorian sun bonnet is a replica of a bonnet believed to have belonged to Elizabeth Macarthur. The original was made from unbleached linen, drawn over a series of 25 whalebone hoops 

Things to Do

Elizabeth Farm (70 Alice Street, Rosehill, NSW)

Elizabeth Macarthur journal and correspondence, 1789-1840 

Read:  Elizabeth Macarthur: A Life at the Edge of the World, by Michelle Scott Tucker

Elizabeth and John: The Macarthurs of Elizabeth Farm. By Alan Atkinson

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

Greycliffe House: 6 Steele Point Rd, Vaucluse NSW 2030
Greycliffe House: 6 Steele Point Rd, Vaucluse NSW 2030
Greycliffe House: 6 Steele Point Rd, Vaucluse NSW 2030

Shark point batter,  Vaucluse NSW 2030.Adam.J.W.C..

Places To Go

Neilsen Park, Greycliffe Avenue, Vaucluse, NSW.
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