Government House
Located next to the Royal Botanic Garden on Sydney Harbour, Government House is the official residence of the Governor of New South Wales. Completed in 1845, the building is an example of the Gothic Revival style which is characterized by the towers and other medieval features.
The Governor is appointed by the Sovereign and is her representative in New South Wales. As the formal head of state in New South Wales the Governor has an important constitutional, ceremonial and community role In respect of constitutional matters, the Governor acts on the advice of his/her Ministers.
Getting There
We chose public transport, because it is easy and convenient. Only a ten-minute walk from Central Quay, it’s easily accessible using ferries, trains, light rail or buses.
Walking through the Botanic Gardens, we only noticed it was open when we saw people wandering through the gardens. On walking up to the front gates, we saw the open times and decided to take the opportunity to go inside.
Outside and Gardens
Entry to the gardens is free and you are able to walk through them during opening hours. With views over Sydney Harbour, they are great to wander around and admire. At the same time, the outside of the building and it castle-like appearance look great surrounded by trees.
Front of Government House 
Entrance 
Fig Tree From the Entrance 
Colonnade 
Decorative Ceiling Inside the Colonnade 
Colonnade 
View Over the Gardens 
Some of the Gardens at Government House 
Stained Glass Windows
Interior Tour
To go on the guided tour inside the building, you need to sign in at the gate house. Identification is required and bags must be left in the cloak room.
With tours run every 30 minutes, they are convenient and regular. The first starts at 10.30am and the last at 3.00pm. The gardens and guided tours are free of charge, which is great.
Photography is not permitted inside the house. This is a pity because the interior decorations and artwork are amazing.
The tour takes you through the public rooms, where the guide explains the significance of the decorations and the house’s history. We learnt a lot about the Governor’s role and how it has changed since the early days of the NSW colony. Originally the Sovereign’s representative, in charge of running the colony, they are now responsible for ceremonial duties, while the Premier and their Ministers run the state.
If you are able to go on the tour, we really recommend it, as we found it very interesting.
What did We Think?
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
What an impressive fig tree there. Also the architectural style reminds me of my trip to Southern California–the Spanish Colonial style buildings with colonnades.
YEs, the fig tree was really big. The architecture was interesting too, would be great to see the buildings in southern California!