A Gap in Time: Susannah Place

By Shelby Hearn // 12 July 2011 // Comments: 0 // Related Categories: museums, sydney, Things to do, tour

I have always been a bit of a history buff. There is just something about old buildings that gets me excited! That musty smell, the danger of century old architecture, the stories creeping through the walls - just waiting to be discovered and told. Walking through the door of the Susannah Place General Store, I was catapulted head first back 170 years to the day the shops doors first opened.

Built in 1844 by Irish immigrants, Susannah Place is the perfectly preserved remnants of its original inhabitants. Lived in up until 1990, with over 100 different families taking up residence, these houses have been restored to their original condition down to the smallest details - original furniture, period fabrics, trinkets and knick knacks, irons and daily tools. The cabinets are filled with artefacts and items from the time - all that you can touch!

In 1992 the museum, located in The Rocks, opened in an effort to preserve the period and showcase the history of the area, displaying Sydney’s working-class people, where they lived, worked, and how they got by. The museum has been a testament to Sydney’s history ever since. 

After a 10-minute video explaining the history of the buildings, the area and the people who lived in The Rocks and the Susannah Place houses, guests are led on a 45-minute guided tour through the four houses that make up the property. As you walk through the buildings viewing exposed walls, earth floors, gap filled floor boards, one-hundred year old plumbing, and primitive vending machine style electricity you will truly gain an understanding of life and the living conditions of Sydney’s working-class as recent as 20 years ago. 

Tour guides detail the lives of the families that resided in these houses. Showing pictures, telling stories, displaying secrets, and truly revealing the existence of these people to the modern visitor. When the tour came to an end I felt a pang of guilt at the ease of my own life in comparison to those who lived in Susannah Place. I walked through the General Store doors, out onto the street and headed back to my modern life in the global city of Sydney. 

Planning Your Visit:

Susannah Place is located at 58–64 Gloucester Street, The Rocks, Sydney, NSW 2000. 

Admission to the museum is permitted by guided tour only, in an effort to best preserve the buildings for future generations. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 2 to 6pm, and Weekends and NSW School holidays from 10am to 6pm (closing at 5pm during June, July & August).  

Admission costs are $8 for adults, $4 child/concession, $17 for families and all Historic Houses Trust (HHT) Members enter for free. 

For more information please visit the Susannah Place website or call the museum at 02 9291 1893. 

Upcoming Events:

Archaeology in the Rocks – Walking Tour (13 August 2011)

Museum after Dark  (14, 21 & 28 July 2011) 

For more events and Historic Houses Trust Museums, visit the HHT website.

What else to do in and around The Rocks:

The Rocks is the "historic" area of Sydney, located just next to Circular Quay. Cobble streets and old architecture provide a romantic atmosphere in which you can unconsciously slip back in time. Art galleries, unique shops, cafes, chocolate shops, and wonderful restaurants. It is also home to the Rocks Weekend Markets, which are a great place to find inexpensive quality gifts, souvenirs, clothing, jewellery, and more!

Sydney Visitors Centre - The Rocks | Oz Jet Boating | Museum of Contemporary Art | Thunder Jet Boating | Sydney BridgeClimb | Bonza Bike Tours | True Blue Cruise - Whale Watching | Bounce Walking Tours | Gallery of Sydney | Foundation Park | Captain Cook Cruises | Rocks Discovery Museum | Sydney Uncovered | Gannon House | Vagabond Cruisies | Dawes Point Park | Sydney Observatory | City Cycle Tours | Sydney Theatre Company | Electric Velocity Cyclery | Tribal Warrior - Aboriginal Culture Cruise | Harbour Jet | The Rocks Ghost Tours | The Rocks Pub Tour | The Rocks Walking Tours | The Rocks Photography Tours | Pancakes on the Rocks | Walsh Bay