Step inside the 180-year-old homes telling the real story of Sydney

Tucked away on Gloucester Street in The Rocks, four modest terraces have stood here for more than 180 years, bearing witness to generations of working-class Sydney life. Now, all four heritage-listed homes at Susannah Place are open to visitors, with Museums of History NSW introducing four intimate guided tours that bring the people who once lived here – and the neighbourhood around them – vividly back to life.

Choose from Making a New Home, The Grocer’s Shop, Women of Susannah Place or Working Waterfront, with each experience taking you inside a different terrace and exploring another chapter of the precinct’s history. Together, they uncover stories of migration, family and neighbourhood life, the changing lives of women, and the workers who helped shape Sydney’s waterfront.

Rather than simply peering at objects behind glass, you’ll step inside re-created interiors and discover historical photographs, oral histories and stories from former residents – offering a fascinating glimpse into how ordinary Sydneysiders actually lived. Got a history buff in your life? This is for them.

Susannah Place is located at 58-64 Gloucester Street, The Rocks, and is open Thursday to Saturday. Entry to the houses is by guided tour only, with tickets from $10 for children and $20 for adults. Capacity is limited, so bookings are recommended.

Pick a house, choose a story and step inside Sydney’s past.