Sorrento can claim to be the site of the first white settlement,
over 200 years ago.
Aboriginals were the very first settlers and had the beauty
of the peninsula to themselves for more than 40,000 years,
living off the bounty of the sea, the native flora and
fauna.
Lieutenant-Colonel David Collins, 300 convicts and a few
settlers landed at Sullivan Bay in October 1803 (near
what became Sorrento).
It was the vision of the 1890’s parliament and entrepreneur
George Coppin that augmented the superb natural enjoyment
of the Sorrento area with grand buildings, parks, theatres,
a steam train and a network of coastal walks. Thankfully
most of his enlightened legacy remains today and identifies
Sorrento as a very special historic township and wonderful
place to visit.
At the end of Ocean Beach Road on the boundry of the National
Park, George Coppin instigated the construction of Whitehall
Guesthouse.
Whitehall was built in 1903 and was one of the ‘grand’
guesthouses constructed during Sorrento’s halcyon
days.
Whitehall stands proud as the largest and the longest
operating guesthouse of this fabulous era.
