Hermitage Foreshore Walk & Vaucluse House

The Hermitage Foreshore track begins at Bayview Hill Road or Nielsen Park, Vaucluse and is part of Sydney Harbour National Park.

Hermit Point, Vaucluse

Queens Beach

Our group stopping off at Vaucluse House, the sandstone mansion, built in the 1830s, for William Charles Wentworth and his family.
 
I was familiar with the front view of Vaucluse House (see Nielsen Park post), but found much more to see as we were led around to the back of the house beyond the 'castle' facade.

I saw inside on a previous visit, and thought it was well worth the visit. (Vaucluse House link)

Vaucluse House stables & carriage loop

                            

 

The estate reflected the owner’s pre-eminence in colonial affairs, and is one of the few 19th century houses on Sydney Harbour retaining a significant part of its original estate.

The stables are Gothic revival style (as is the house facade) and even the stables (above) are substantial, well designed and constructed of stone. Fine horses were another status symbol of this time. Some of the seven stone paved stalls are seen in the interior photo (left)

It was important to have a good kitchen garden and the garden (below) recreates part of the Wentworth's kitchen garden.

Vaucluse House Heritage Info

                                                                                                                             

   

Our walking group started at Watsons Bay after catching a ferry, stopping off at Vaucluse House, before continuing on to Rose Bay, where we caught a bus to Bondi Junction.  I have shown the photos above in the reverse order to this.

For more photos of this harbour walk:  Nielsen Park and Parsley Bay - click on photo below

  Woollahra Council PDF                          wildwalks link                             location map