Highlights

While Sydney is now a beautiful sparkling city, it wasn't always. This tour will explore the Rocks neighborhood and learn about Sydney’s social history, from the convict settlements located here in the 19th century to outbreaks of the bubonic plague, traveling across the 20th century to more recent immigrant groups and their struggles for equality. We'll start on the western edge of Sydney Cove where we’ll begin at the beginning—the arrival of the First Fleet. As we weave through the area, we’ll visit a variety of monuments, from historic homes like Cadman’s Cottage to archaeological sites. This will enable us to discuss the presence of the Cadigal people in this area before European contact, and the successful waves immigrants who settled here—from the European dockworkers in the 19th century to Chinese merchants in the 20th. We’ll wander the narrow, picturesque alleys crisscross in the shadows of the Harbor Bridge, looking at how different groups inhabited and made their living here.