By Laura Rancie.
Watsons Bay in Sydney, is full of charm with tiny homes built for government officials dating back to the early days of a colony there including two 19th-century NSW Premiers. In 1828 the suburb's population was 36, today it is a beautiful destination that I took my girls to on a mother-daughter weekend, staying at a nautical-themed boutique hotel with all the luxuries of gourmet cuisine, a nightly turn-down service and evenings ending in gelato.
Described as one of the most beautiful suburbs in Australia, Watsons Bay did not disappoint on this two-night getaway originally booked as a quick interstate trip for a matinee at the theatre. We had opted to stay outside of the main CBD in favour of exploring Sydney’s gorgeous rugged coastal suburbs. Our research into the area oozed history and charm.
Long before Captain Phillip’s crew arrived at Sydney Harbour marking the first European landfall in Watsons Bay in 1788, were the Aboriginal Australians from the Cadigal community. If you’re lucky enough, you’ll still be able to see their carvings on the rocks overlooking the ocean with etchings of fish, people and animals, where they fished and camped and created community.
Captain Phillip’s party also camped there – in the secluded but safe little inlet of Camp Cove, protected from the elements.
Image from the Australian National Maritime Museum (2023).. A small selection of the museum's Dunbar collection, purchased with the assistance of the Andrew Thyne Reid Charitable Trust
Nearly a hundred years later on August 20, 1857, the doomed sailing of the Dunbar didn’t experience the same protection, having travelled 22,000 km to get shipwrecked at midnight – right there at their final destination of Watsons Bay, around the literal corner from Camp Cove.
All but one of its 122 passengers, perished. An article in the Sydney Morning Herald dated August 23, 1857 describes the ship’s onboard contents including dyes for the colony’s first postage stamps, machinery, furniture, trade tokens, coins issued privately by traders, cutlery, manufactured and fine goods, food and alcohol.
Some of the doomed passengers had already been living in Sydney and this was meant to be a return home to the Motherland in England for a visit, with the intention of returning to Australia.
The then 20-year-old James Johnson, the sole survivor, had remained clinging to the cliff face for nearly two days before he was discovered. The Dunbar shipwreck sparked the eventual build of the stunning red and white striped Hornby lighthouse to avoid any future shipwrecks, although the delay of the build did mean one more ship would again hurl itself in the jagged cliffs and be tossed in the violent seas, losing 21 lives. Is it any surprise that James Johnson, would later be the first lighthouse keeper there?
Soaking in all this new information on a quiet Thursday morning walk from our boutique hotel, I meandered leisurely up the aptly named Cliff Street, through Camp Cove and up to the historical cannon along the South Head heritage trail where the original lighthouse keeper's cottage lays in all its sandstone architectural beauty.
Venturing past the nudey beach of Lady Bay and heading North towards the lighthouse are the historical markers retelling the story.
Watsons Bay is a fantastic destination for taking a break from your busy life. The local dining options are excellent with several Australian Good Food Guide Readers' Choice Award-winning restaurants in the immediate area including Doyle’s on the Beach, first opened in 1885. From here we enjoyed lobster, salad and chips overlooking the resting upturned tenders. Another great meal we enjoyed was on the sand at the Camp Cove kiosk, for brunch. If meals create memories, this was one we wouldn’t forget.
We later enjoyed an easy walk to the Watsons Bay wharf where the regular ferry service was ready to whisk us away on a 20-minute ride across turquoise waters to Circular Quay and back again in time for the last hour of daylight. We ventured around the local streets, taking in the charm of the multi-coloured doors, cute picket fences and modern mix of architecture amongst the historic overlays of cottages and streets.
As the sun set over the harbour in the distance and the sky created a magical palette of pinks, oranges and yellows we glimpsed one last time at the beautiful shoreline bobbing with sailboats, fine sand and stunning architecture.
Will you join me next time?
