Situated just west of Circular Quay, it is lovely to just wander around the cobblestone streets and feel yourself transported to another time. I have happily done that a few times, but ultimately the nerd in me wanted the historical details. Plenty of tours are offered of the area, however, I decided I wanted to roam around at my leisure and I opted to take myself on self-guided walking tour. For the most part, I followed the guide outlined in Sydney's Best Bush, Park and City Walks, but it's also easy to find one online. (Here is one other guide I found.)
The Rocks Discovery Museum is a great place to start a tour of this area. This compact little museum is slightly hidden down a tiny alley, but it's well worth finding it. Their exhibits quickly give you an overview of the history of The Rocks starting from when it was the homeland of the Cadigal people, to the establishment of the first British settlement, its growth as a working-class neighborhood and slum, and ultimately its conversion to the historical site it is today. They give you stories of the people who've lived here and how some of them were also able to reinvent themselves. It takes no time at all to make it though the whole place, and it's free to boot.
Once I've thoroughly covered the exhibits, I head out to find Cadman's Cottage, one of the oldest buildings in Sydney. The tiny house has served many purposes throughout it's history, but for a long stretch of time it was the home of John Cadman, who was convicted for stealing a horse. However, he went on to the have a very respectable career as a coxswain for the government and was eventually pardoned. I love the comeback stories.
After I leave the cottage, I just wander up and down the streets. There are little alleyways and staircases leading to hidden gems everywhere. For example, there is a tiny nondescript doorway in between two small shops in Argyle Terrace. Go through and you're in a passageway that will lead you to a narrow staircase that winds up the back of some lovely terraces.
The tunnel opens up to more quaint old buildings and trails leading up to The Sydney Observatory, which sits on top of a hill looking over the entire city. They do charge to go into the Observatory itself, but visitors are welcome to walk around the park that surrounds it free of charge. It's definitely worth the short hike up the hill, as the views are simply spectacular!
You can follow my entire route via the slideshow:
For all the details on the route, complete with descriptions of the sites, click through the set on my flickr page.
The sites in the area are great as is, but every weekend you can also catch The Rocks Markets. To be honest, I wasn't as in love with this market as I was with Paddington's, but it definitely has ambiance and it's just so easy to work into a day of sightseeing and to get some crafty souvenirs. I picked up a cookbook here from a very enthusiastic gentleman who let me taste all kinds of goodies at his gourmet foods booth. (Cookbooks are one of my favorite souvenirs -- I like to try to recreate the tastes of the place I've visited at home.) As an added bonus, A Taste of the Bush: Rainforest to Table also came with a selection of native Australian spices.
On Fridays there is a condensed version of the market on Argyle Street featuring mostly prepared foods, along with some fresh foods and crafts. The day I did my walking tour I fueled up for my trek here with another Turkish gozleme, and I returned to wind down the afternoon with a nice cup of tea.
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