Sydney Open - The Judge's House

Built in the 1820s, this is Sydney's second oldest remaining house, after Cadman's Cottage down at Circular Quay. It was built for William Harper, who was a surveyor in the young colony. He left his post early due to ill-health wherupon the house was rented by Justice James Dowling, CJ of NSW. The current name dates from that time.

Originally, it was an extensive estate with home gardens and orchards, with a magnificent view down to the forests of Cockle Bay. Nowadays, it nestles on its very small block overwhelmed by buildings and roads of a bustling city.

Sydney Open - the dome of the QVB

With much appreciation to Greg Lake for the use of his photographs.


Every two years, the Historic Houses Trust runs a Sydney Open, where upwards of 60 architectural icons are opened to the public. There is a 'general' section where you work out how many locations you can fit into your day, and knock them off one by one. Then, there are the 'Focus Tours' where you pay $30 per person, per tour. These sell out very quickly and places are limited. Getting in early, I secured tickets for the dome of the Queen Victoria Building, the tunnels beneath Central Station, and the Tank Stream beneath Australia Square.


The previous time the QVB dome was opened was in 2006, and one can appreciate why. There was a lot of steep climbing of rickety steps involved, and much dust and pigeon poop. However, the view from the top was exhilarating. This used to be the highest vantage point in the city. If there was a fire on the horizon, this is where it would be seen from first. Nowadays, we were engulfed by glass.


I am indebted to Greg Lake for the majority of photographs in this post, excepting the two immediately above this note of appreciation. Greg and his wife were on the Focus Tour with me, and graciously agreed to email me photographs. Silly me, had taken the organisers at their word when the blurb said 'No photography allowed'. The tour guides gave no such admonition, and camera phones popped up from everywhere. Silly me, left mine at home. Thank you, Greg. I appreciate being in touch with you.