"Greycliffe"

21 - 23 Mona Road Vaucluse - New South Wales 

"Greycliffe" is built from sandstone, with cedar joinery & fine quality plasterwork, for one of the daughters of Willliam Charles Wentworth - Fanny Wentworth.  She married John Reeve, a Wealthy migrant from England. 

John Reeve purchased the land at Shark Beach from Wentworth & Commissioned John Hilly The well Known Sydney Archirtect to Build "Greycliffe". The house was completed in 1852. 
Reeve never lived at "Greycliffe" preferring to travel to England with his wife. Instead the house was leased to a string of prominant Sydney Citizens

John George Nathaniel Gibbes (1787 - 1873), MLC was then the Collector of Customs for NSW. The house proivded an ideal vantage pooint for Gibbes where he could watch the movements of shipping on Sydney Harbour's main channel. 

Gibbes & his wife dwelt at "Greycliffe" until 1859 - when he retired from the Customs Service & they moved to their new home "Yarralumla Homesteasd", in what is now Canberra. 

"Yarralumla" Is the Official residence of the Governor General Of Australia in Canberra.

in 1911, the house was transferred to Public ownership & given over by the New South Wales Government for use as a hospital for babies & then as a Mothercraft centre. 

As it stands Today, "Greycliffe" is a large, elaborate & well preserved neo gothic Voictorian House which retains unobstruicted water views acroass to the Northern shore of Sydney harbour. It boasts multiple Gables, a long entrance hall,. a stately staircase & carved barge boards. 

'Greycliffe" is one of the few remaining examples of Gothic architecture in the Sydney Area

Stables adjoin at the rear & the residences gardens tumble down to the beachfront, while natural bushland frames the house.