''Greycliffe House'' is an historic, two-storey residential dwelling situated in the

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

suburb of

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; oc, Vauclusa, label= Provençal or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. Completed in in the Victorian Rustic Gothic style, ''Greycliffe'' is listed on the (now defunct) Australian

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritag ...

and on the

Municipality of Woollahra Woollahra Municipal Council (or Woollahra Council) is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Woollahra is bounded by Port J ...

local government heritage list.

History

''Greycliffe'' was built out of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

, with cedar joinery and fine quality plasterwork, for one of the daughters of William Charles Wentworth. Fanny Wentworth married John Reeve, a wealthy migrant from England. Reeve purchased land at Shark Beach from Wentworth and commissioned the architect John Hilly to build Greycliffe, which was completed circa 1852. A sealed entrance road, originally Greycliffe's carriage dive, leads to the house. Reeve never lived in ''Greycliffe'', preferring to travel to England with his wife. Instead, the house was leased to a string of prominent Sydney citizens, including, initially,

Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes (1787-1873) Colonel John George Nathaniel Gibbes (30 March 17875 December 1873) was a British army officer who emigrated to Australia in 1834 on his appointment as Collector of Customs for the Colony of New South Wales, an appointment which gave him a sea ...

, MLC, the then Collector of Customs for NSW. The house provided an ideal vantage point for Gibbes, as he could watch the movements of shipping on Sydney Harbour's main channel from its north-facing verandah. Gibbes and his wife, Elizabeth, dwelt at Greycliffe until 1859—when he retired from the Customs Service and they moved to their new home, '' Yarralumla'' homestead, in what is now the capital city of

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. ''Yarralumla'' is now the

official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...

of the

Governor-General of Australia The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.New South Wales Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

for use as a hospital for babies and then as a mothercraft centre. Then, in 1978, the house was added to the

Sydney Harbour National Park The Sydney Harbour National Park is an Australian national park comprising parts of Port Jackson, Sydney and its foreshores and various islands. The national park lies in New South Wales and was created progressively, from 1975. The national ...

along with the recreational area surrounding it known as

Nielsen Park Nielsen may refer to: Business * Nielsen Gallery, an American commercial art gallery * Nielsen Holdings, global information, data, and measurement company ** Nielsen Corporation, a marketing research firm ** Nielsen Audio, formerly Arbitron, whic ...

Greycliffe House and Nielsen Park - Sydney Heritage

As it stands today, ''Greycliffe'' is a large, elaborate and well-preserved neo-Gothic Victorian house which retains unobstructed water views across to the northern shore of Sydney Harbour. It boasts multiple gables, a long entrance hall, a stately staircase and carved barge boards. Stables adjoin at the rear and the residence's gardens tumble down to the beachfront, while natural bushland frames the house to the rear. The house's upstairs interior and roof were extensively damaged by fire in 1897 but the structure was restored soon after. ''Greycliffe'' has functioned as a visitors' centre and headquarters for the Sydney Harbour National Park. The house was the setting for the Bligh family saga in the 2013 Australian television series '' A Place To Call Home''.

References

{{reflist Houses completed in 1852 Houses in Sydney Victorian architecture in Sydney 1852 establishments in Australia Sydney Harbour National Park Sandstone houses in Australia New South Wales places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate New South Wales Heritage Database