Old Government House, Sydney

Back in the colonial days, if there was a “quiet retreat” where early governors could escape the chaos of Sydney, the Old Government House in Parramatta Park would definitely be it—a stately reminder that even in the 1800s, people liked a good “weekend place.” Sitting about 25 kilometres west of today’s Central Business District, this is Australia’s oldest surviving public building, constructed between 1799 and 1816 by convict labour armed with chisels, sandstone, and probably very little enthusiasm. The design came from John Watts, a former Royal Marine who doubled as Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s aide-de-camp and part-time architect, proving that multitasking isn’t a modern invention...

From the outside, the house delivers classic Georgian confidence, perched neatly on a ridge above the Parramatta River, as if keeping an eye on the colony’s progress. It blends British neoclassical orderliness with Australian practicality: wide verandas and airy ceilings that seem like whispering, “Yes, it gets hot here.” Inside, you’ll find rooms staged with period furniture that gently transport you into the domestic routines and official duties of the first ten governors—drawing rooms for receiving guests, studies for shaping policy, and bedrooms where history apparently needed its rest...

Originally, this estate spread across farmland and bushland that formed the Governor’s Domain, a testing ground for colonial agriculture long before the area became part of suburban Sydney. Today, the National Trust of Australia cares for the property, which proudly sits among the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Australian Convict Sites. Walking paths, gardens, and interpretive displays help you imagine Parramatta when it was still taking shape.

Keep in mind: this is Darug Country, home to the Aboriginal Burramatta people. Some nearby trees still carry scars where bark was carefully removed to make canoes—a quiet reminder of a much older story in the landscape. And for those who like their history with a side of goosebumps, the Historic Houses Trust even offers a “haunted” tour. Whether it’s ghosts or governors you’re after, Old Government House has both covered.