[2] The abode of the first Governor of New South Wales, Captain Arthur Phillip, was a structure made of canvas and timber brought from England with the First Fleet and erected in January 1788.

[3] As the first permanent building in the colony, it had two storeys built of bricks and stone comprising six rooms, two cellars and a rear staircase.

The two-storey house was built under the direction of James Bloodsworth, a convict builder responsible for the construction of most of the colony's buildings between 1788 and 1800.

Hunter also set up the colony's first printing office in the grounds which produced Notices and Orders and in 1803, Australia's first newspaper, the Sydney Gazette.

Work on this was started by Greenway, but the project was not approved by the British government, and unlike the castle-like stables, commissioned in 1816, was never finished.

[citation needed] The heritage-listed 1816 stables build by Greenway under Macquarie's direction still stand in the Botanic Gardens and form a facade for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

[5] The stables, located close to picturesque Sydney Harbour, reflect the building techniques and the range of materials and skills employed during the early settlement era.

The house suffered as a result of the poor mortar (made from the lime of crushed sea shells), white ant infestations, and what appeared to be rising damp in later years.

Stone foundations, garden paths, drains, evidence of the first printing office and thousands of other objects were also discovered.

The well-preserved foundations of First Government House were located in 1983 and excavated over the following months; providing a priceless insight into the early years of the nation.

In June 1988 an architectural competition was announced for the design of a structure to commemorate first government house, and adjoining commercial office development.

[1] The site is situated on the south-west corner of the intersection of Bridge and Phillip Streets in the northern section of the Sydney CBD.

Other stone foundations, drains, and a corner of the Dining Room Governor Macquarie added to the house are also extant.

Its use as both home and seat of authority and its siting and subsequent development determined to a large extent the pattern of growth of Sydney.

These remains provide evidence of Australia's major phases of history, architectural, building technology, and administration of the colony in New South Wales.

[1][17][18] First Government House, Sydney was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 10 December 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.

The in situ works and structures demonstrate the high standard of the first building in the colony and the echoing European style.

It has associations with important people, such as explorers, governors, foreign visitors, Aboriginals, merchants, statesmen and settlers.

The location of First Government House influenced the development of the irregular street pattern at the south-eastern side of Sydney Cove.

[1][18][7]: 11–15 The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales.

The First Government House Precinct is significant due to the variety of styles, and the consistent scale, texture and unique quality of many of its component buildings.

As it contains the oldest in-situ remains of British settlement in Australia, and as the site of the earliest seat of government in the colony, the site is saturated with direct historical associations and, for many, has become the symbolic focus of diverse environmental, cultural, racial and political issues related to the colonisation of Australia.

[1][17][18] The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

The First Government House site gives archaeologists and historians opportunities for research into aspects of the city of Sydney 200 years ago.

[1][18][7]: 11–15 The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales.

Being the first permanent residence, it became an exemplar for building fashion: stone footings, white washed brick walls and terra-cotta or shingle roofs became the accepted residential standard of the free class.