Admiralty House, Sydney

Admiralty House
Admiralty House viewed from the south
Admiralty House
Location in Greater Sydney
Former namesWotonga
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeViceregal residence of the Governor-General
Architectural style
Location109 Kirribilli Avenue, Kirribilli, Sydney, New South Wales
CountryAustralia
Coordinates33°51′06″S 151°13′06″E / 33.851735°S 151.218245°E / -33.851735; 151.218245
Construction started1842
Completed1843
ClientJohn George Nathaniel Gibbes
OwnerKing Charles III in right of the Commonwealth Government
Technical details
MaterialSydney sandstone
Design and construction
Architect(s)
Architecture firmColonial Architect
Official nameAdmiralty House Garden and Fortifications
TypeBuilt
Designated22 June 2004
Reference no.105399
References

Admiralty House is the official residence of the governor-general of Australia in Sydney. It is located in the suburb of Kirribilli, on the northern foreshore of Sydney Harbour, and adjacent to Kirribilli House, which serves as the Sydney residence of the Australian Prime Minister. The large Victorian Regency and Italianate sandstone manor, completed in stages based on designs by James Barnet and Walter Liberty Vernon, occupies the tip of Kirribilli Point. Once known as "Wotonga", it has commanding views across Sydney Harbour to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. Admiralty House is regarded as the secondary residence of the governor-general, the main residence being Government House in Canberra, also known as Yarralumla.

Its current name originates in the fact that it served as the residence for the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Navy's Australian Squadron from 1885 to 1913.

The original building on the site was completed, as a private dwelling, in mid-to-late 1843, by John George Nathaniel Gibbes, the then Collector of Customs for New South Wales and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. A portrait of Gibbes, painted in 1808, hangs in the house.

On 22 June 2004 Admiralty House was placed on the Commonwealth Heritage List.