St Patrick’s Church

LoginSave

This Catholic sandstone church (1844) was built on land donated by William Davis, who was transported to Australia from Ireland without trial due to his role in the 1798 Irish Rebellion. Inside it’s incredibly quiet, which makes the brass altar, stained-glass windows and colourful statues of St Patrick, St Joan of Arc and St Michael even more striking. Guided tours are infrequent but worthwhile; check the website.

Davis' home (on the site of the chapel-turned-cafe) was arguably the first Catholic chapel in Australia; it was used for clandestine devotions and secretly housed a consecrated host after the colony’s only Catholic priest was deported in 1818.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Bondi Beach, New South Wales, Australia

    Bondi Beach

    4.53 MILES

    Definitively Sydney, Bondi is one of the world’s great beaches. It’s the closest ocean beach to the city centre (8km away), has consistently good (though…

  • 500px Photo ID: 90468683 - The worlds most famous Bridge on the worlds most famous Harbour..Sydney Harbour. ..This makes for a perfect backdrop for the New Years Eve Fireworks

    Sydney Harbour Bridge

    0.73 MILES

    Sydneysiders love their giant 'coathanger', which opened in 1932. The best way to experience this majestic structure is on foot. Stairs and lifts ascend…

  • Boat mooring at Apple Tree Bay

    Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

    15.51 MILES

    A spectacular mix of sandstone, Australian bushland and tranquil water vistas, this 14,928-hectare park forms Sydney’s northern boundary. It’s located 20…

  • 500px Photo ID: 45657584 - hornby lighthouse@watson bay

    Watsons Bay

    4.67 MILES

    Lovely Watsons Bay, east of the city centre and north of Bondi, was once a small fishing village, as evidenced by the heritage cottages that pepper the…

  • Sumatran Tiger

    Taronga Zoo Sydney

    2.46 MILES

    A 12-minute ferry ride from Circular Quay, this forested harbour hillside is full of kangaroos, koalas and similarly hirsute Australians, plus numerous…

  • A burning dawn sky above the beautiful Sydney Opera House.

    Sydney Opera House

    0.67 MILES

    Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, this magnificent building is Australia's most famous landmark. Visually referencing a yacht's sails, it's a…

  • North Head

    North Head

    6.13 MILES

    About 3km south of central Manly, spectacular North Head offers dramatic cliffs, lookouts, secluded beaches, pretty paths through the native scrub, and…

  • Beautiful Area with stone pavement at West Head Lookout Point and Barrenjoey Head background Blur - stock photo Sydney NSW Australia - June 5th 2020 - Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park on a sunny winter afternoon

    West Head

    20.47 MILES

    This central section of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is a spectacular wilderness, with awe-inspiring vistas over Pittwater and Broken Bay, hidden beach…

View more attractions

Nearby attractions

1. St Philip’s Church

0.09 MILES

Completed in 1856 by architect Edmund Blacket in High Victorian Gothic style, St Philip’s is the latest incarnation of a line descending from Sydney’s…

2. Australia Square

0.16 MILES

Generally acknowledged as Australia’s first major office tower, Australia Square (1968) was designed by archi-phenomenon Harry Seidler. His 50-storey…

3. SH Ervin Gallery

0.16 MILES

High on the hill inside the old Fort St School (1856), the SH Ervin Gallery, though surrounded by freeway, is a pleasing oasis that exhibits invariably…

4. Wynyard Park

0.18 MILES

Above Wynyard train station is this rare wedge of downtown greenery. Surrounded by skyscrapers and spindly plane trees, it has a certain Manhattan vibe to…

5. Tank Stream Fountain

0.19 MILES

Designed by Stephen Walker, this four-part bronze fountain (1981) near Circular Quay incorporates dozens of sculptures of native Australian animals; play…

6. The Big Dig

0.21 MILES

Before the outbreak of bubonic plague in the early 20th century and the subsequent slum clearances, this section of the Rocks was a warren of houses…

7. Susannah Place Museum

0.22 MILES

Dating from 1844, this diminutive terrace of four houses and a shop is a fascinating time capsule of life in the Rocks. A personable guide takes you…

8. Macquarie Place

0.23 MILES

Beneath some shady Moreton Bay fig trees is this historic triangle. Look for the cannon and anchor from the First Fleet flagship (HMS Sirius), an ornate…