Balmain’s jacaranda-filled streets contain dozens of historically significant buildings, most of which are privately owned. The squat, shingle-roofed Clontarf Cottage is an impressively restored house (1844) saved by protests in the late 1980s. It was part of a larger estate and features big sandstone blocks and a wide verandah.
Clontarf Cottage
Sydney
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
5.6 MILES
Definitively Sydney, Bondi is one of the world’s great beaches. It’s the closest ocean beach to the city centre (8km away), has consistently good (though…
1.36 MILES
Sydneysiders love their giant 'coathanger', which opened in 1932. The best way to experience this majestic structure is on foot. Stairs and lifts ascend…
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
15.23 MILES
A spectacular mix of sandstone, Australian bushland and tranquil water vistas, this 14,928-hectare park forms Sydney’s northern boundary. It’s located 20…
5.62 MILES
Lovely Watsons Bay, east of the city centre and north of Bondi, was once a small fishing village, as evidenced by the heritage cottages that pepper the…
3.28 MILES
A 12-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay, this forested harbour hillside is full of kangaroos, koalas and similarly hirsute Australians, plus numerous…
1.57 MILES
Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, this magnificent building is Australia's most famous landmark. Visually referencing a yacht's sails, it's a…
-
6.93 MILES
About 3km south of central Manly, spectacular North Head offers dramatic cliffs, lookouts, secluded beaches, pretty paths through the native scrub, and…
20.54 MILES
This central section of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a spectacular wilderness, with awe-inspiring vistas over Pittwater and Broken Bay, hidden beach…
Nearby Sydney attractions
0.04 MILES
This brick former church hall, built around 1851, is in a rather dilapidated state.
0.09 MILES
Balmain’s hibiscus-scattered streets contain dozens of historically significant buildings, most of which are privately owned. The most notable is this…
0.11 MILES
One of Balmain's many notable historic buildings, the Watch House, is Sydney’s oldest surviving lockup (1854). It now operates on Saturdays (combine it…
0.13 MILES
Once a tough, working-class neighbourhood, Balmain now rivals Paddington in Victorian-era desirability – with the added advantage of being surrounded by…
0.38 MILES
Balmain’s hibiscus-studded streets contain dozens of historically significant buildings, most of which are privately owned. Darling St has Cahermore,…
0.44 MILES
Just up from the ferry slip, this cute sandstone cottage was built in 1841. It's one of many historic houses of this era scattered through Balmain.
0.7 MILES
Goat Island, west of the Harbour Bridge, has been a shipyard, a quarantine station and a gunpowder depot in its previous lives. Heritage tours are offered…
0.7 MILES
Completed in 1996, Sydney’s other eye-catching bridge spans Johnstons Bay, connecting Pyrmont and Rozelle. It’s the longest cable bridge in Australia …