Susannah Place

Went on a free tour on a Saturday morning of Susannah Place. Need to book the tickets online in advance. Our tour started promptly at 11am and our tour guide Ted was entertaining, factual, and a great storyteller. I thought there was the right mix with reference to Indigenous history while acknowledging that this house and most of its history is European centric. Two of the four buildings were open on this visit. We started in the backyard with laundry and bath and made our way into the basement kitchen before heading upstairs to the bedroom. Each room was woven with stories from past tenants and we were shown pictures of them on the ipad including pics showing the exact location we were in. We then went into the building next door with a more recent interior. The ethos at this living museum is to preserve the heritage - so yes the paint is peeling from the walls and the floor has been covered over in parts, but renovating it would lose its authenticity. Would be interested to see the other 2 buildings when they open later in the year. Worth checking this and other Museum of History properties out while entry is still free to them (via a multi year government funding). Time your tour and head across to the Heritage pub for lunch before or after. No photography is allowed inside.

Yesterday's Street party heralded the reopening to the public of these historic terrace homes at The Rocks in Sydney. Guided tours enhance the experience of stepping back in time to Sydney of the mid 19th century.

Susannah Place is a small, unassuming building located within The Rocks. It is only open to the public on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays with some free tours throughout the day. In order to gain entry into the museum, you need to prebook online. The building is quite small, so tour numbers are limited. I absolutely loved visiting! Our tour guide was so friendly and enthusiastic not to mention extremely knowledgeable on the area, the people and families who used and occupied the house as well as its history. She was very patient and accommodating of questions and included the history of other visitor's counties in her presentation and how it could be relevant to the early settlement of Sydney. When booking, I did not think there would be enough to see for the tour to last a whole hour, but all of us on the tour found it so fascinating and were engaged the entire time. I would highly recommend visiting here!

Built in 1844, Susannah place is a well preserved home providing insight into what life was like during this era. Really makes you appreciate the modern ammenities we have today. Tours run frequently, lasting about 1 hour and are free! Came on a weekday and there were about 6 others on our tour. Tour guide was passionate!

Great visit for an understanding of the early settlement of the 1840s! Thanks Ted for an informative and interesting tour!

Have been wanting to come and visit for ages finally was able last week. Highly recommend a visit for tourists or Sydneysiders to get a glimpse into our past and the history of The Rocks. The guide Johanna was knowledgeable and passionate and got the kids in our tour group involved. Also check out The Big Dig right across the road!

To visit this historical landmark of The Rocks I recommend booking ahead. In fact you can only see Suzannah's place if you book a tour via the website or on-site as only a few visitors are allowed at one time due to the size of the housing. But you won't regret it as your guide will tell you the stories of the many residents who once lived there, since Suzannah's mum Mary built it in 1844, as well as the improvements brought to these houses over the years. The kids loved the old appliances and the anecdotes!

This is a block of 4 houses - a kind of time capsule of how life was over a 100 years ago among the lower working class living in the Rock area of Sydney. A lot of care has been taken to preserve the original as well as recreate what used to be. You get a chance to walk through the living room, and other rooms and because it’s a guided tour you actually get a lot of history and all your questions are answered . And it’s all free. It’s strictly a guided tour and the last one starts at 4:30pm.

I love historic homes and tours so this was perfect for me. We were the only 2 people in the 4:00 tour and learned so much about the former residents and their lives. Our tour guide was excellent and really considerate as he had to deal with me and my foot in a boot (cast). He kept offering places for me to sit and make sure I could make it up the steep steps. They have a very different approach then on the US where we keep the homes more intact- here they leave them to deteriorate. If you like learning about history you will love this- I did.

Had an amazing private tour here today. Be sure to book your tour, as there is only one at two, three, and 4 PM. The tour takes you through the story of multiple families that lived in their homes since the 1840s, and our tour guide told us stories in an excellent way. Definitely worth an hour of our vacation.

Walking through The Rocks after their fantastically fun Sunday Market in Sydney, this charming little museum caught my eye with a group of old fashioned whisk brooms piled out front. Ducking in, the staff member shared the purpose of the Museum and we determined to swing by on Monday. If you enjoy "slice of life" historical properties, then I recommend a visit here. One hour is plenty and there are mandatory, guided tours on the hour. The four terrace flats are the real show here -- along with the stories shared by your guide/ interpreter. Vaguely reminiscent of NYC's Tenement Museum in its approach, the stories of the families who lived in Sydney in these spaces can inspire the imagination. Each Terrace highlights several different eras - there is no one single era kitted out completely in one home. One tip: The Museum Pass for $18 (as of Dec 2013) is well worth it if youre planning on seeing the Hyde Park Barracks as well. Doing this will also get you into the Museum of Sydney and the Police/Crime Museum open on Weekends for the same price. If you have to discriminate, the Hyde Park should be the priority followed by this little gem.

Its not visually spectacular and theres no fabulous antiques or rare and priceless artifacts but it is a fascinating insight into working life through the 1850's - 1970's in Sydney. Inside these four terraces everything seems tiny and truly reflects how restrictive living space would of been in those times. The laundries and bathrooms are outside and our guide says they are among the oldest in Sydney. There are floor coverings and some wall paper. resembles a dairy or general store. The handrails have been worn smooth and there are many stories under each layer that makes Susannah Place Museum. From the Historic Houses Trust you can purchase the Ticket Through Time where you can visit 12 historical houses in Sydney over a 3 month period. A family ticket is $60.

A must visit if you're in the rocks. Wonderful preservation of history in the best location in Sydney.

We had Ivan for our tour guide and he was great! Quick witted and very informed! This was my favorite museum in Sydney! I am even debating on going back with my husband as we wasn't able to come this time. You walk through the store front and two of the houses. Amazing that they were able to preserve this piece of history. So amazing how all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together and hearing about the many families that lived there!!

No need to visualize how the early Sydneysiders of the 19th century lived, just go to Susannah Place museum in the heart of The Rocks. It consists of four working-class terraces build in the 1844 by immigrants from Ireland and has been continuously occupied until about 20 years ago. Interestingly, over 100 different families lived here. That's a lot of history! Luckily for us, these four houses survived a complete reconstruction of the entire Rocks area, which used to be a place of slum-like conditions for the working class. This museum displays the efforts of domestic archaeology, which attempt to peel back all the layers of decoration and reformatting that each one of these 100+ families contributed. The museum tells the stories of select families who inhabited the houses over the past two centuries. Imagine living here in deplorable living conditions during the bubonic plague outbreak in 1900. Times have sure changed!

My wife and I are regular visitors to Australia and to Sydney in particular (family visits). On a recent trip we were encouraged to visit the Susannah Place Museum. It turned out to be a most extraordinary experience as we were immersed in the lives of early settlers in the city. The tour was well organized and the guide was extremely well versed in the living and worked conditions of the original inhabitants of the buildings. We now recommend a visit to this museum to other family and friends as an essential part of their stay in Sydney.