Now ringed by multistory apartments, elegant Elizabeth Bay House (mhnsw.au; free) gives a window into a time when the colonial well-to-do were beginning to shift out of the central city, seeking a peaceful escape from the convicts and open sewers of Sydney Cove. It's open from 10am to 4pm Sundays and Mondays.
Built for Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleay, this gracious Greek Revival mansion was considered the finest house in the colony when it was completed in 1839. The architectural highlight is the curved, cantilevered staircase in the domed oval saloon at the center of the house. An interesting video in one of the upstairs bedrooms tells the tragic story of how Macleay, after falling into debt, was turfed out of the house by his own ruthless son.
The grounds – a sort of botanical garden for Macleay, who collected plants from around the world – extended from the harbor all the way up the hill to Kings Cross. Traces remain, including a little hidden grotto reached by taking a path leading between 16 and 18 Onslow Ave.
