Dark Tours!

Dark Tours Interactive History and Ghost Tour!

Make your way to Clontarf Cottage in the Sydney suburb of Balmain and step back in time at this amazing historical home and the stories it has left behind!

We will use a wide range of hands on equipment to detect any environmental changes or residual energy from the past within the Clontarf Cottage!

What will we hear? What will you capture in a photo? What will you feel or experience?

Join us to discover more!

Clontarf Cottage was built in 1844 by Robert Blake, a former Soilder, who seems to have been Sydney’s first Spec Builder. Clontarf was one of the earliest buildings on the Blake Estate which in turn was one of the earliest subdivisions on the Pennisula. The eleven houses built by Robert Blake, Clontarf is one of five buildings that still remains in existence and the essence of of early colonial simplicity.

Robert Blake had built Clontarf at a cost of L450 and named it after a part of Dublin, the site of a battle fought in 1014. Robert Blake married Ann Ashton on 9/9/1834 and welcomed their son Henry on 28/5/1938. Henry passed away on 23/5/1838 aged 5 months and Ann passed away at the age of 22 on 10/7/1840.

Robert Blake years later married Mary Ashton, who may have been his wife’s first sister. Mary and Robert welcomed five children, 3 boys and two girls, with one of the boys passing away from Scarlatina in 1855 aged 7 months. Robert Blake passed away on 11/7/1875 with further tragedy of another son passing away on 29/5/1877 aged 28 years. Mary Blake died in July 1896 aged 75 years.

The Blake Estate was sold to Ewen Cameron, a partner in Mort and Co. After the breakup of Cameron’s Estate in 1878, a Balmain Publication Charles Yeend bought Clontarf. Several ownerships followed until the house and land was passed to an engineer, James Robert Morgan, in 1922. It appears that Morgan operated a blast furnace, foundry building and out-houses there. The Power Engineering Company took over the foundry in 1938 and expanded it further. By further changes of ownership Clontarf became the property of Wards Stoves Pry Ltd in November 1947. In the 1970’s Clontarf had been home to live theatre in Sydney until the late 1980’s with shows performed by comedian Joel Osborn. After the theatres use it sat vacant for quite sometime and was at risk of being demolished. In the late 1980’s, public protests were held to save the Historical Clontarf Cottage and for the building to be restored with its interesting mix of iron, wood and stone.

14+ with an adult

Free tea, coffee, cold drinks and light snacks will be available for guests