Our Heritage Randwick Accommodation. Welcome to the home of the handsome and wealthy district overlooking Coogee Bay!
Step back in time, before you were born to the 1890s in Sydney and imagine you are a visitor arriving by a tram powered by steam into Randwick.
Basically, Randwick was Sydney’s first municipality outside the CBD. The area subsequently quickly grew into a handsome & wealthy district overlooking Coogee Bay. The area certainly grew to feature historic churches, Victorian villas, local public houses, colonial statues and important institutions and hospitals.

At the heart of this handsome and wealthy township was a central park, albeit like an English ‘Village Green’ called High Cross Park. Here you could sit and admire the decorative private villas in Queen Anne revival style, once called Edith and Essex House, built in 1890, and now part of the Sydney Lodges Group of properties where you can stay, known as High Cross Randwick. The property is chiefly famous for its Victorian-featured architecture consisting of classic cast iron verandahs, balcony posts, lace fringes and ‘witches’ hat roofing peak.
Over the next 3 decades, High Cross Park was to become surrounded by key historic buildings, basically all of which are still standing today. Our Heritage Randwick Accommodation.

Dr Alexander Cuthill
High Cross Randwick, was built on Cuthill Street, Randwick. The street was named after the unfortunate Dr Alexander Cuthill. He was the first medical officer of the Destitute Children’s Asylum in Paddington, looking after homeless and sick children. Sadly, Cuthill was murdered in 1854, but he was starting to plan a new build just before he died. His legacy was in the form of a bequest to build a larger children’s asylum in Randwick and has laid the foundation stone for today’s Randwick medical and hospital hub Famous for its Victorian-featured architecture; of classic cast iron verandahs, balcony posts, lace fringes and ‘witches’ hat roofing peak. that stretches for miles and is directly across the road from our High Cross Randwick, property, popular for those visiting the hospital. Our Heritage Randwick Accommodation.
Pubs and Horse Racing
Randwick is full of local pubs and two of its most famous heritage style are the Royal Hotel and the Coach and Horses Hotel. Presently, both still serving you a nice icy cold beer and great pub food for lunch or dinner.
The Coach and Horses
The Coach and Horses was built in 1856 and run by the Grice family. It quickly became the favourite place for Randwick’s Horse Racing crowd for jockeys and trainers to stay, as they could also accommodate all the horses in stalls at the back of the hotel.
John Grice also established the first horse-drawn bus “omnibus” which transported city race-goers from Wynyard to Royal Randwick Racecourse and then on up the hill to his pub. However, the ride was often free for its passengers since they got bogged in the sandy soil around Centennial Park and nonetheless, had to get out and push for the rest of the trip.
Later, in 1863 the hotel and surrounding area were refurbished into a luxurious resort and amusement park. It was called Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and there was a bowling green, a menagerie, a dance hall and croquet lawns. Althouth, this fell into disrepair when John Grice and his wife evidently died within months of each other. Meanwhile, the Coach and Horses has been refurbished with a replica of its original façade and is still a favourite drinking hole amongst the locals.
The Royal
Neighbour to our properties at Perouse Randwick and High Cross Randwick, The Royal Hotel was built in 1887. It still has the decorative wrought-iron balconies and is a part of the National Trust of Australia.
Interestingly, one of the most famous stories to come out of the Royal Hotel was when Edmund Barton, the member for Randwick (who later became the first Prime Minister of Australia) made his “Vote for Federating the Colonies” speech from the balconies of the Royal Hotel. Thousands came to stand in the streets around High Cross Randwick to listen and applaud the great man.
Explore Randwick’s Heritage Walk with a self-guided walking tour of Sydney’s oldest municipality. Download the app and follow an hour long walking tour to get to know the area find link here
Gordon’s Bay and Cliffbrook House
One of our favourite places to stroll like a local is Gordon’s Bay. This locality was officially named after Lewis Gordon Government Surveyor who received a grant of 40 acres of land around Coogee Bay in 1840. On this land, the original Cliffbrook House was built in 1883. With it’s amazing view over Coogee water and district, it had a path through the trees and down steps to the beach and a boathouse too. The steps are still used today to head down to Gordon’s Bay beach on the Coogee to Clovelly part of the Coastal Walk.
In the early 1900s, Cliffbrook House was renovated into a grand Italianate-styled property. Garden parties for local dignitaries and their ladies were held until the lot was subdivided in 1922. The elegant old Cliffbrook Home was sold many times again until it crumbled. The second Cliffbrook was built in the 1950s as a replica and is owned by the University of NSW as part of a restoration of historic buildings program.
Architectural Influence
Indeed, the Victorian era from the late 1890s is still visible in many heritage-listed properties. You can see these on the Heritage Walk so watch for these places as you walk around the area:
- Firstly, the Randwick Post Office, built in 1898 is a Federation Freestyle with a ground floor colonnade and ornately detailed sandstone columns and arches.
- The Superintendent’s Residence in the Romanesque revival style became the home of the Superintendent of Children’s Asylum. It was recently restored and is found in front of the Nelune Centre
- The Edward Blacket Block (previously the site of the Randwick Children’s Asylum) and the Catherine Hayes Block – both sandstone Italian Gothic Style buildings that are part of the hospital and medical hub of Randwick hospitals across the road from our property Avoca Randwick
- Finally, Cliffbrook House at discover-more-coastal-walks had a unique history of it’s own (see above)
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The Old Randwick Post Office Cnr of Avoca and Alison Roadimage: By Photographic Collection from Australia | The Superintendent’s Residence now restored on Avoca Street image: courtesy Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation |
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Edmund Blacket Building Prince of Wales Hospital complex Image by Sardaka from wikipedia | Cliffbrook House at Gordon’s Bay image: Published by Historic Houses Trust NSW. 1999. |
Randwick hits the Art Deco Era
Randwick’s next important stage of growth was when it came to life as a buzzing commercial and entertainment hub in the 1930’s. This period was the “Golden Age” of Cinema.
The Ritz Theatre is found at “The Spot” right around the corner from our Randwick properties. Built in 1937, the Ritz Cinema is the Art Deco centrepiece of the “The Spot” of Randwick. The Ritz was designed by Aaron Bolot and eventually can seat 900 people. The building is constructed of brick with a galvanised iron roof supported on angle steel trusses. The rendered facade reflects the early skyscraper-style concept. There is a strong vertical emphasis expressed by vertical linear ribbing, and the stepped parapet.
The Ritz became part of the local catholic school that backs onto it, Bridgidine for many years. During the 1980s it had a testing time when it was threatened with demolition. A public campaign with the help of local Coogee actor, Mel Gibson, helped to save it. The NSW Government then placed a Permanent Conservation Order on the building.

Randwick Ritz, then and now. Images: courtesy of Randwick Ritz Cinemas and Newmarket images
The Ritz now
Experience a night at the Ritz! Marvel at the beautifully designed cinemas and art deco bar area on the first floor.
The Ritz had its opening Gala evening on 27 July 1937 with some Golden Oldies from the day including Olivia de Haviland’s “Call it a Day”
In 2008 the Australian Film Festival and Randwick City Council eventually established the Australian Film Walk of Fame. The walk is explicitly located on the footpath outside the Ritz, to recognise and honour Australian actors. Go for a wander along the Hall of Fame! Explore the famous hand prints on the pavement just down and around the corner from Perouse Randwick at The Spot.
For more in-depth History visit the Randwick Ritz Cinema website.
Our Heritage Randwick Accommodation.