Historical Tours of Sydney Hospital and Sydney Eye Hospital

Guided Historical Tours

Tours of approximately one hour are offered on a weekday at a cost of $10.00 pp, all proceeds benefit Sydney Hospital/Sydney Eye Hospital.

Co-ordinated by Friends of Sydney Hospital volunteers, visitors will learn that the 19th century sandstone Macquarie Street building which dominates the CBD, is a continuation of earlier medical establishments. Sydney Hospital is Australia’s First Hospital dating from the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788.

Macquarie Street was created by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1811 when the foundation stone of The General Hospital (The Rum Hospital, later demolished) was laid on the site. The façade of Parliament House and The Mint, former wings, remain today to remind us of the The Rum Hospital’s style and magnitude.

Today, Sydney Hospital Complex comprises three buildings: the oldest building on the site is The Nightingale Wing (1868) with its link to Florence Nightingale; the newest building is The Clinical Services Building which houses Sydney Hospital and Sydney Eye Hospital (1996). And the Macquarie Street building (1894) which features a Grand entrance with carved cedar staircase and two magnificent stained glass portrait panels in the central Stairwell. Tours begin in the impressive Hospital Boardroom.

You will also see the beautiful Chapel of St Luke the Physician; Il Porcellino – a bronze boar sculpture at the Entrance to the Hospital and the most photographed subject in the CBD – and The Robert Brough Memorial (Courtyard) Fountain.

Hospital souvenirs and historical booklets can be found at The Little Shop in Macquarie Street which is open from 10.30 am to 2.30 pm on weekdays.

TOUR BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL

Enquiries: Tel 02 9382 7111 Sydney Hospital/Sydney Eye Hospital

or Tel 02 9358 3023 Volunteer Guide wilkspm@bigpond.com

Museum: Tel 02 9382 7427 or email wolf.krueger@sesiahs.health.nsw.gov.au

Tours of the Lucy Osburn – Nightingale Foundation Museum

The Lucy Osburn - Nightingale Foundation is delighted to offer tours of their newly opened museum located in level one of the historic Nightingale Building. Tours are coordinated by the museum curator, and allow participants to walk back in time and experience life at Sydney Hospital from 1860 onwards.

Some highlights of the Museum include:

Florence Nightingale's sewing basket from the Crimean War
Lucy Osburns original 'Walking Out' costume (C1868) and her nurses register, which contains details about her probationer nurses
historical photographs and artifacts relating to a bygone era in medical and nursing care

Booking a tour

Your group has the option of undertaking an individual historical tour or a museum tour. Your group must be no smaller than eight people, and no larger than 25 people. Historical tours last for 1 - 1.5 hours and tours of the Nightingale Museum last for approximately 1.5 hours. Bookings for either an historical and/or museum tour are essential. Historical and museum tours can be held any day of the week, commencing at either 9.30am or 2pm, although other times can be arranged. To book a tour, please contact the Sydney Hospital and Sydney Eye Hospital on telephone +612 9382 7400.

Upon receipt of your booking form, a Sydney Hospital representative will telephone you to confirm the date and time of your booking.

Tour rates

Historical tours

$10 per person

Museum tours

(cheques payable to "Lucy Osburn/Nightingale Museum")

$5 per person

You will be pleased to know that all funds raised through hospital guided tours will be used to purchase much needed medical equipment for use by our patients. Museum tour costs help to manage and maintain the museum collection.

Morning or afternoon tea

Morning or afternoon tea can also be arranged for tour groups at the conclusion of your tour, and is served in the hospitals historical courtyard. This provides tour participants with extra time to savor the ambience of the site. Morning or afternoon tea is served at an additional cost of $7 per head.

Paying for your tour

Tours and morning/afternoon tea must be paid for two weeks prior to your visit. Please attach your cheque, made payable to Sydney Hospital and Sydney Eye Hospital, and send to Public Relations with your completed booking slip.

Where does the tour start from?

Guided historical tours commence from the top of the stairs at the main building (Administration Building) fronting Macquarie Street. Tours of the Nightingale Museum commence at the top of the Nightingale steps, level one, Nightingale Building. Please arrive at least five minutes prior to the commencement of your tour.