Susannah Place — Attraction in Sydney

Step back in time and explore the gritty, real-life history of Sydney’s working-class families at Susannah Place Museum, located in the heart of The Rocks. This rare heritage site offers a deeply personal glimpse into the everyday lives of those who called Sydney’s oldest neighbourhood home.

Built in 1844, Susannah Place consists of four original terrace houses, remarkably preserved through the city’s rapid modernisation. Over 100 families lived here across generations, enduring everything from outdoor baths and shared laundries to rat plagues and rising damp — all while building the foundations of Sydney’s vibrant community spirit.

Wander through the rooms and narrow staircases, each filled with artefacts, period furnishings, and layers of paint and wallpaper that whisper stories of the past. Every space is a time capsule, reflecting how domestic life evolved over more than a century.

Guided tours bring the stories to life with rich detail and heart, offering insight into the resilience, challenges, and resourcefulness of everyday people. From Irish immigrants and dockworkers to shopkeepers and young families, Susannah Place honours those who helped shape the character of The Rocks.

Before you leave, be sure to stop by the delightfully recreated 1915 corner shop, where you can browse unique souvenirs, historical knick-knacks, and nostalgic treats — a perfect piece of living history to take home.

Whether you're a local or a visitor, Susannah Place Museum is a must-see in Sydney for anyone curious about the city's...

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...

Compact, interesting little museum focused on the history of tenement life in The Rocks. It's guided-tour-only, I guess mostly due to the delicateness of the exhibits and the structure itself. You get a nice interactive walk through a bunch of rooms of this old tenement building, which was apparently continuously inhabited right through the mid 1990s (!). The various rooms are staged as they might have appeared during different eras - mainly the 1840s, 1930s, and 1950s - with "scenes" from life and so on. I found the guide extremely helpful and knowledgeable, and she was only too happy to take me on a tour even though I was the only person present. At the end there's a gift shop full of old-timey Australiana, like unfashionable sweets and obsolete kitchenware. All in all, this museum is well worth the time if you're interested in the history of how people (especially newly-arrived immigrants) used to live in Sydney; if that topic doesn't interest you it's probably best to give it a miss. It's worth noting that this museum is part of the "museum pass" one can get for Sydney museums, which makes it an excellent value if you already...