Snack: The Crypts Of Victoria Street

Title: Crypts Under Victoria Street.
Status: Not Open To The Public, But Visible From The Street.
Distance: 3 Minutes Walk.
Location: Victoria Street, Opposite Orwell Street.
Cost: Free.

This row of Victorian terrace houses in Victoria Street (opposite Orwell St) hide a large secret from the nineteenth century that has left a remarkable piece of evidence of past wrong doing. To discover the truth look for the public stairway on the southern end of the terraces and go about half way down the stairs, and look at the back of the terraces.

The houses are built on top of huge arches and vaults that rise 3 stories to the base of the houses. To stand inside them is to have the feeling of being in ancient Roman ruins. Unfortunately, they are not generally open to the public, but good views of them can be had from Rowena Place and Butler Stairs.

Why are they there? This is the site of an old quarry. In the days of the clipper ships coming to Woolloomooloo they would at times be lightly laden for their voyage back to England. At those times they needed ballast, and this is where the Woolloomooloo sandstone was dug and crushed for the ships.

Unfortunately the quarryman kept digging all the way to the edge of the carriageway in Victoria Street. It was no doubt highly illegal, but it happened anyway. When finally he could get no more stone he sold the land to a developer who had a problem. The land that technically faced Victoria Street was now 3 stories below it and the only solution possible for building Victoria Street frontage houses was the massive foundations seen today.Then, as now, Victoria Street frontage meant much higher prices. He also created Rowena Place, the street below, which he named after his daughter. This all happened in 1883.