Images and Video
Sydney's Convict Colony – The Rocks Walking Story
Highlights
- Uncover the intriguing tales of convicts and soldiers as you stroll through Sydney's historic The Rocks.
- Experience the vibrant stories of rum and rebellion, brought to life by a local historian's engaging storytelling.
- Explore the sandstone cliffs that cradle Sydney's origins, feeling the texture of history beneath your feet.
- Immerse yourself in a playful atmosphere that invites all to participate and ignite your imagination.
Fascinating history, delivered with energy and insight on a walking exploration of Sydney’s original settlement: The Rocks. Together they will uncover the scallywag stories of convicts, soldiers, rum and rebellions.
Tour Taster: Once upon a time a bizarre colonial experiment took place on the rocky shores of a forested cove. Thousands of miles from home, Britain’s banished thieves would be locked in a jail whose walls were made of ocean, hunger, fear and bush.
Defying the odds, this shanty camp would clutch to life on the banks of a tiny stream. Gardens were grown, rum was traded and homes were carved into the sandstone cliffs.
Centuries changed, legends grew, scallywag Sydney was born. Her squalid secrets etched into the very rocks from which she was built.
Journey Walks invites you to share a part in this story. This tour will keep your eyes wide open, your ears pricked and your imagination ignited.
This tour is led by a local historian who specialises in contemporary storytelling. An interactive and playful atmosphere is created that makes all feel welcome and involved.
Itinerary highlights
Sydney's oldest surviving cottage
Built in 1816 by convict hands and designed by the infamous convict architect Francis Greenway, Cadman’s Cottage is a distinctly charming Georgian house sitting quaintly on the original foreshore of Sydney Cove.
The oldest surviving cottage in Sydney, its white-washed sandstone embodies the convict experience in The Rocks. It was once the headquarters of John Cadman, a convicted horse-thief who transcended his criminal status in Sydney to become the colony’s chief Coxswain.
This architectural highlight, one of many heritage structures we visit, will also allow us to introduce Governor Lachlan Macquarie, whose gravestone on the Scottish Isle of Mull describes as “The Father of Australia”
Tour details
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Available from 13 April 2024 to 30 April 2027
Features
Service facilities
Sevice Activity
Disabled access available, contact operator for details.
Access & Inclusion
An access and inclusion statement is available on the business website.
- www.journeywalks.com/access
Operation information
Journey Walks: History, Crime and Culture Tours of Sydney
Journey Walks are crime and history tours that reveal Sydney’s secrets and bring to life its stories. Operating since 2016, Journey Walks offers handcrafted adventures through Sydneys colourful past and historic locations. Their walks have been carefully researched, written and curated by historians and script-writers to scratch below the city’s surface and uncover the quirky characters, hidden histories and underworld aspects of Sydney’s notorious heritage.
Join Journey Walks in The Rocks and Circular Quay for a journey into Sydney’s original Convict Colony. In Kings Cross and Potts Point to uncover its infamous golden-age of crime and bohemia. In Surry Hills to bring to life the former haunts and hide-outs of Sydney’s underworld. And in Paddington to explore the rags before the riches. Their young and vibrant team of local guides are history and heritage professionals with tertiary training and fantastic storytelling skills. They offer small group experiences (both public and private tours) that engage, entertain and educate.
Accreditations
- National Trust
Memberships
- National Trust
- Visitor Information Centre
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