The Rocks, New South Wales

The Rocks is a historic suburb and tourist precinct on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, just northwest of the Sydney CBD. It sits at the base of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and overlooks Circular Quay. Visitors see sandstone buildings, historic pubs, and narrow laneways that recall the area's convict-era past.

Don't miss

• Cadmans Cottage, one of the oldest surviving buildings in Sydney
• Sydney Observatory, offering views of the harbour and bridge
• Dawes Point Battery, the first fortified position in New South Wales
• Susannah Place Museum, four 1844 terrace houses showing 150 years of working-class life
• The Rocks Market, with around 100 stalls operating each weekend
• Historic pubs and craft shops lining the sandstone streets

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit The Rocks, New South Wales

Cheapest way inSydney Tower Eye Ticket4.1★ · 517 travelers~2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$21 per personSee dates →Most bookedSydney Opera House Official Guided Walking Tour4.7★ · 4,135 travelers~1 hourFree cancellationFrom$36 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleBlue Mountains Private Tour with Kangaroo and Koala Experience5★ · 68 travelers~8 hoursFree cancellationFrom$298 per personSee dates →

Know before you go

• The Rocks is within walking distance of Circular Quay station.
• Weekday shopping includes galleries, Australian clothing, and opal shops.
• A passenger boat terminal is beside the Rocks area.

A bit of history

The area was known as Tallawoladah by the Cadigal people. After the colony's founding in 1788, it became a slum frequented by convicts, sailors, and prostitutes. In 1900 a bubonic plague outbreak led the government to plan demolition, but World War I halted it. In the 1970s, residents and unions fought redevelopment with a green ban, saving the historic buildings and leading to the area's transformation into a tourist precinct.