Government House - A Gothic Castle for Governors

Photo: Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Sydney Harbour: Rocks to Opera House, a free self-guided tour.

Up the slope from the Opera House stands a building that looks like a small castle, with turrets, battlements and pointed windows. This is Government House, home of the Governor of New South Wales.

It was designed in Gothic Revival style by Edward Blore, an English architect whose plans were sent out from London; Colonial Architect Mortimer Lewis supervised the building. Work began in 1837, a ball was held in the unfinished house in 1843, and Governor George Gipps became its first resident in 1845. The house replaced the colony's first, much humbler Government House, which stood near the head of Sydney Cove.

From 1901 to 1914 it was lent to the new Commonwealth as the Governor-General's residence. Governors moved out in 1996, when it was opened as a museum house, and moved back in 2011. The house still hosts official events, and its gardens of about five hectares look over Farm Cove. Check the website for when the grounds and house tours are open.

Getting here: From the Opera House forecourt, walk uphill toward the garden gates and follow the signs to Government House, about 5 minutes.

Did you know?: Sydney's first Government House was a simple building put up in 1788; a 1980s dig in the city center found its foundations, now marked at the Museum of Sydney.

Photo op: From the lawn outside the forecourt, frame the turreted facade and its flagpole; the fig trees make a good natural border.

More on Wikipedia: Government House, Sydney · Edward Blore · George Gipps

Government House - A Gothic Castle for Governors

Stops on this tour