Louise Hawson finds Walter Burley Griffin’s architectural fantasy suburb.

Mention the lower North Shore suburb of Castlecrag to the average Sydneysider and they’re liable to stare blankly at you and change the conversation. Nor is this place on the top ten list of the typical tourist. But who wants typical? There are secrets in every city and Castlecrag has them by the bucketload.

That is of course assuming you have more than a passing interest in architecture. And it would help if you were also just a teensy bit curious about the Transcendentalist philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Anthroposophy.

Castlecrag was designed by American architect Walter Burley Griffin, the same guy who had a hand in Canberra. He and his fabulous wife, Marion Mahony, were into “Organic architecture”, where nature ruled and buildings were designed to look as if they just sort of sprouted from the earth. So the whole suburb is covered in wonderful stone houses and plenty of green, quite unlike anything else in Sydney.

Keeping with the whole organic thing, I suggest you head over there and just meander around, trusting your instincts as to where you go next. Either that or google ‘Griffin homes in Castlecrag’ for the full list and addresses of all the hero homes.

While you’re there, make sure you check out the work of the other major architect in Castlecrag, Hugh Buhrich. He has two homes there, one of which has been called the “finest modern house in Australia”.

And can I suggest you keep all this under your hat – a secret is a secret after all.

Photo: Courtesy Louise Hawson