Book a check-up
Sydney · since 1923

A hundred years of stethoscopes,
sea breeze and slightly
suspicious tonics.

Five generations of Sydney doctors. One sandstone building in Circular Quay. Approximately 4,812 cups of tea per year. We've been treating Sydneysiders since trams ran on George Street — and we promise the waiting room is much nicer now.

Book a visit Read the story →
  • 102years on the harbour
  • 5generations of doctors
  • 1resident clinic cat
our story

It started with a doctor, a rowboat, and a very stubborn lighthouse keeper.

In 1923, Dr. Edmund Whitlock set up a one-room surgery above a tea house on George Street with a hand-painted sign that read "Open whenever the harbour is calm." His first patient was a lighthouse keeper from Bradleys Head who refused to take the ferry and rowed himself across with a broken wrist.

Edmund's wife Mabel ran the front desk, the kettle, and the gossip pipeline. Their daughter Iris became Sydney's first female GP in the district. Her grandson Tom introduced the radical innovation of appointments. His daughter Dr. Alice now runs the place — same sandstone walls, same brass nameplate, much better Wi-Fi.

— Dr. Alice Whitlock, fifth-generation harbour doctor

a slightly cheeky timeline

One hundred years on the harbour

  1. 1923

    One room. One doctor. One kettle.

    Dr. Edmund Whitlock opens the surgery above Mrs. Pemberton's tea house. Consultation fee: two shillings, or one freshly caught snapper.

  2. 1934

    The Bridge opens. So does our second room.

    The Harbour Bridge brings traffic, tourists, and an unexpected surge in sore necks from "looking up too much, mate."

  3. 1956

    Dr. Iris — Sydney's first female GP in the district.

    Iris Whitlock takes over. Installs the suburb's first telephone-on-the-doctor's-desk. Patients call to ask if she's "really a real doctor." She is.

  4. 1973

    The Opera House. The Beatles haircuts. The waiting room.

    Sydney gets a new opera house and we get a proper waiting room. Magazines: optional. Tea: still mandatory.

  5. 1999

    Appointments. (Yes, really.)

    Dr. Tom introduces the appointment book. The first patient to make one calls it "a bit posh, isn't it?" and shows up three hours early anyway.

  6. 2014

    A cat named Stethoscope adopts the clinic.

    Walks in through the back door, sits on the reception desk, refuses to leave. Eleven years later, still senior management.

  7. Today

    Dr. Alice runs the place. Stethoscope supervises.

    Same sandstone, same harbour view, same brass nameplate. New x-ray machine, new pediatric room, new biscuits. Always biscuits.

meet the bench

Five generations. One stubborn family.

Dr. Edmund Whitlock

Founder · 1923–1955

Believed in fresh air, hot tea, and saying "she'll be right" with surprising medical accuracy.

Dr. Iris Whitlock

Generation II · 1955–1989

Sydney trailblazer. Made house calls by tram, then by Mini, then by sheer force of will.

Dr. Tom Whitlock

Generation IV · 1989–2018

The man who brought us appointments, computers, and the great waiting-room-magazine reform of 2003.

today

Dr. Alice Whitlock

Generation V · 2018–today

Runs the clinic, the family, and most of the cat. Genuinely lovely. Slightly intimidating in a good way.

harbour folklore

Six things that are probably true.

1

The brass nameplate has been polished every Monday since 1923. It has outlived four prime ministers and one ferry.

2

A patient once paid in pavlova. Mabel ruled it acceptable. Pavlova remains an accepted form of payment "in emergencies."

3

Dr. Iris diagnosed a case of appendicitis over the phone in 1962. She was correct. The patient was a fisherman, three nautical miles out.

4

The reception kettle is the third one. The first two were retired with honours. There is a small plaque.

5

Stethoscope (the cat) has his own appointment slot at 11:15. He keeps it religiously.

6

The corner armchair is older than the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It has opinions.

come and see us

Pop in. The kettle's already on.

Book online, give us a ring, or just wander up the sandstone steps. We're the building with the brass nameplate and, on most afternoons, a tabby cat asleep on the front desk.

  • Address 14 Phillip Street · Circular Quay · Sydney NSW
  • Hours Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00 · Sat 9:00–13:00
  • Phone (02) 9000 0000
  • Email hello@clinicalhistory.com.au
Book a check-up
EST.
1923

What to expect

  • A warm welcome (and a warm cup)
  • Modern medicine, century-old hospitality
  • Bulk-billed for kids under 16 and seniors over 75
  • A cat. There will be a cat.