Sans Souci is a French term meaning without care, in other terms, no worries. The area between Cooks River and Georges River was originally known as Seven Mile Beach. It was changed to Lady Robinson’s Beach in 1874 to honour the wife of Governor Sir Hercules Robinson. Cook Park is named after Samuel Cook, who advocated it as a public pleasure area.
Catherine Cooper was given a 100-acre (0.40 km2) grant in the area in 1830, where she and husband, Robert Cooper Junior, built a home. The Coopers later operated a distillery there; the land was known as Charlotte Point and then Rocky Point.
Sans Souci took its name from a grand house built on Rocky Point Road on land bought in 1853, by Thomas Holt (1811–1888), wool merchant and politician, for his German wife. It was named after Sanssouci in Potsdam, Germany, the summer palace of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. However, Holt thought that the area was too isolated so he built another house at Marrickville, overlooking the Cooks River, which he called The Warren. He bred rabbits for hunting and kept exotic animals, including an alpaca on this property. In the 1860s, Holt sold his Sans Souci property to William Rust, who turned it into a popular hotel, despite its isolation.
Sans Souci is mostly residential. A shopping strip is located on Rocky Point Road, near the intersection of Sandringham St, including the Sans Souci Shopping Village, The Party People, various fast food outlets and the post office. Another small group of shops is located at the intersection of Clareville Avenue and Russell Avenue, on the border with Dolls Point and Sandringham. It includes Sans Souci Library and a variety of small shops and retailers. Two primary schools are located in the suburb: Sans Souci Public and St Finbars.
Transportation is mainly by car or bus, with the closest railway stations being Kogarah and Caringbah, although only approximately 11 minutes from the CBD, Sans Souci is seen as an accessible destination.
Sans Souci is centred around its waterways and parks with the St George Sailing Club, St George Motor Boat club and Botany Bay Yacht Club all surrounding Sans Souci for the pleasures of a water side living lifestyle.
