🇦🇺 EXPLORE ~ Vaucluse & Watsons Bay : Sydney

We decided to have a quick look around the Watsons Bay & Vaucluse area, quick sneak peak but will def be back to take a closer look around the South Head and Hornby Lighthouse def want to go walking around there… so this is just a preview 🤓

We parked at a parking lot near watsons Bay baths across from the library and tea rooms

Watsons Bay – the water was such a beautiful colour

Located in the eastern suburbs of sydney, its one of the most picturesque suburbs in sydney!

This area also has a lot of aboriginal history with some paintings found in the caves overlooking the coastline

Awesome cup of coffee at Watsons Bay Boutique hotel – what a view!

You can see the city skyline from here and the sea and sky look amazing

A road existed to the South Head from as early as 1803, but in 1811 a new road was formed by a party of soldiers.

This stone obelisk at Robertson Park marks the date of its completion

The road was improved by Major Druitt in 1820

We walked up towards Old South Head road

The South Head Road became Old South Head Road after a new road (New South Head Road) to South Head was constructed to the north of the existing roadway along the Harbour foreshore from 1831

A new Catholic Church at Watsons Bay was designed by architect Charles St Julien in Federation Romanesque (American) style and the foundation stone laid in 1909.

The Church was opened on 10 June 1910. Further extensions were made 1929, 1940 and 1966

The inside was just so cute and pretty with the coloured windows with the light streaming in

The front of the church with the cute circular stained glass windows

In 2019 St Michael’s Vaucluse and St Peter’s Watsons Bay combined to form the South Head Anglican Parish under the leadership of Bishop Stuart Robinson

St Michaels first foundation stone was laid on 29^th October, 1875

It was quiet as i walked into the church grounds i dont think anyone was around – I explored a bit around the church and went to the memorial gardens where there was a nice path walking through trees and gardens

Old Gun Emplacements – these fortifications were built in 1893 with others at North Bondi, Clovelly, Henry Head and Bare Island (Botany Bay) as part of a coastal defence

The South Head Coastal walk was so nice on this beautiful sunny yet windy day

We saw whales! Those lucky guys in the boat had the best view… We were pretty far but it was still incredible to see them!

The foundation stone for the lighthouse was laid on Friday 11 July 1816 and it became operational on Monday 30 November 1818, when lantern was lit for the first time

The lighthouse served a dual purpose… It was a means to communicate to the colony that long-awaited ships had arrived & the lantern assisted ships to safely navigate into and around Sydney Harbour – the beam of light could be seen for 35kms out to sea!