Susannah Place Museum Tours and Activities

At the foot of Sydney’s Harbour Bridge lies the city’s historic birthplace, the Rocks: a quarter of winding streets, small sandstone houses and some of the oldest pubs in town. It was here that the colonists from the First Fleet settled, and the site soon became home to the strong community network of Sydney’s working class.

The Susannah Place Museum, a small complex dating back to 1844, tells the story of these former residents. It consists of four terrace houses and a mom-and-pop shop that sells historical artifacts and typical Australian souvenirs. The museum gives fascinating insight into the hard urban life of the working class during colonial times, with workers' stories reconstructed through oral histories. Visitors are shown a documentary about those who lived here and are then given a tour through the buildings, which are all preserved in their original condition. Only essential repairs were carried out on the houses, with their low ceilings, worn-out steps and old furniture from different epochs.