The Rocks Journey Walk, Sydney, NSW

We caught a train to Circular Quay in the morning for a walking tour around a place called “The Rocks”. The Rocks is a suburb filled with laneways and buildings made from sandstone during the early colonisation period. The area is located just off the south of the Sydney Harbour Bridge along side surviving old pubs, the museum of contemporary art and the epitome of brutalism architecture Sirius. The Rocks and other historical monuments have fortunately survived modern developments in Sydney over the years, making it home to markets, restaurants and tourism.
 
We rolled into a café at Circular Quay where the tour met up. Max, our tour guide enthusiastically got the tour started, showing us how far the water used to come in to Circular Quay before the Marina was built. We ventured over the original Sydney Customs house, not far from the original shoreline. Constructed in 1844 it was the entry point to the country for goods and people. Above the doors is the head of Queen Victoria with a face of disgust to give the convicts a warm welcome. The building now is used for events and exhibitions, going inside we were welcomed with a 4.2 x 9.5 metre scaled model of Sydney. It sits underneath a glass floor, letting you walk around and see a birds-eye 3D perspective of the business district. Our tour guide used the model to show us where the original buildings are and how the city formed around it.

Commissioned by Lachlan Macquarie and built in 1818 this obelisk remains the official centre of Sydney

Old Sydney Map Layout

Foundations of the original hospital, one of the first buildings to be constructed after settlement. Later it became a Police Station

Suez Canal was later used by the Rocks Push Gang to prey on unsuspecting targets

Original staircase carved into the rock near Cadman's Cottage

Anchor and Cannon from the 1790 wreck of the first ship to land in Sydney in 1788 the HMS Sirius

Tank Stream Fountain

Tank Stream Fountain

Seuz Canal, used as the name suggests to dispose of waste, pouring directly into Sydney Harbour

Original Sandstone Blocks hand chiselled by convicts from the first and second fleets

On 26 Jan 1808 William Bligh was arrested and overthrown as Governor of Sydney as part of the Rum Rebellion. He is also shamefully known, again being overthrown as part of Mutiny on the Bounty.

We then walked out to Macquarie Place Park, which was formally known as the town square. Now a heritage listed area, it has 3 fascinating features: The obelisk-which is still today the very centre of Sydney, designed by architect Francis Greenway (arrived in Australia as a convict for fraud, completed many architectural masterpieces in Sydney and now appears on the 10 dollar note) it features various distances of roads to other locations on the colony’s first roads. The Anchor and cannon: From the first fleet shipwreck HMS Sirius on Norfolk Island. The birdcage like structure: Originally an underground public toilet in the 1800’s, is now abandoned and buried with sand.
 
Our next destination was over to Alfred Street, to learn about the Tank Stream Fountain. These beautifully sculptured fountains were made in 1981 to pay tribute to the Tank Stream, a tunnel hand built for Sydney Cove’s water supply by the colony in 1788. The fountains have well detailed sculptures of the wildlife that surrounds Sydney and represents a beauty of the wildlife and recognizes the hard work the colonies endured.
 
We walked back towards Circular Quay and on the ground was a coloured plaque, which was an old map layout in Sydney. The map was nicely done and shows how the Quay looked with the original hospital, church and residential buildings nestled along the Harbour. Max showed us with great detail how Sydney was during colonial times; you could easily imagine how everything looked around us.
 
Our tour ventured up to the suburb of the rocks, original houses separated by laneways were made up with sandstone. Every building and lane had a story to it. Now occupied by cafes and markets, they were home to the arriving convicts to the country. It was reputable for its slum conditions and frequently visited by sailors and prostitutes. What is humble now was quite wild back in colonial days, we learnt that the area was dominated by a gang called ‘The Push’ from the 1870’s to the 1890’s. The members were renown for welcoming migrants off the boat with theft and assault, alongside fighting with police and other gangs in nearby suburbs. Where the old hospital was is now a police station, our guide explained to us some of the severe treatments that had to take place in the hospital with diseases that struck incoming fleets and spread through the town. Operations as severe as amputation were accompanied with bottles of rum to create an anesthetic. The local Eora people were shown displays of severe medical practices like amputation to encourage getting treated, hence why they have always described the hospital as a place of death. 

Cadman's Cottage

​We made our way out to a place called Cadman’s Cottage, the oldest surviving residential building in Sydney. The Georgian style house was built in 1816, it was home to the coxswains and their crew until 1845. It was then the headquarters for the Sydney Water Police until 1864 and then the Sailor’s home until 1970. It was restored during the 1970’s after being listed as a heritage site. Beside it is a statue of William Bligh, who governed New South Wales in 1806 and was well known for starting the rum rebellion.

We learnt the amazing story of Mary Reibey (nee Haydock) who arrived in Australia as a convict in 1790 for horse stealing at the age of 13, two years later she was married to trader and free settler, an Irishman by the name of, Thomas Reibey. Mary went on to become a revered and legendary businesswoman and trader in Sydney, taking ownership of the family businesses after Thomas passed away and raising their seven children. Mary's story is a source for inspiration and she now appears on the 20 dollar note. 

Servant and Maid living quarters

Bonds store owned by Mary Reibey

Argyle Street

Glenmore Hotel

The original China Town of Sydney was actually in the Rocks

Make shift homes constructed by the destitute have been preserved as a historical tribute to their hardship

visible fireplace of a shanty house

Governor Phillip the first to stake a claim on Australian soil with the British flag originally called the area, New Albion, but it was changed to Sydney after the Home Secretary Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney, who had instigated the transportation of convicted criminals from London to the new colony as discovered by Captain James Cook and Botanist Joseph Banks.

The rocks walking tour was one of the most valuable experiences we’ve had during our time in Sydney. There was so much information, if we were to put it all on here, we would have a novel. Without this tour you could walk past everything we’ve seen in Sydney and not realise the stories behind it. Places like Parramatta have a story behind it – its name comes from an Aboriginal term derived from Baramada the “head of waters where the eels lie down”, or even Manly Cove, named by Captain Arthur Phillip to describe the confident and “manly” nature of the Aboriginal people in the area. The educational walking adventure really gave us a whole next level of appreciation for Sydney and the history of Australia.