A wee adventure to find this oddly tranquil concrete garden.

Located in Sydney City, The Rocks is one of a handful of places where you can get a sense of what it was like around the time of colonisation in 1788. Once considered a slum, The Rocks is like no other suburb in the CBD in that you can feel the bad, ugly and seedy history as it lurks underfoot whilst the here and now breeds an eclectic array of fascinating arts, entertainment and leisure activities.

The Rocks has, over recent decades, become a cherished spot for Sydneysiders and with its harbour side location, a must for tourists. But The Rocks is so much more than just its location and although The Rocks may be viewed by some as somewhat of a cliché in terms of tourism, we certainly found a fair few utterly charming and unique experiences to brag about. Think total immersion in interactive history tours, or in a panic room setting where you’re locked in for an hour and have to locate clues to help you escape, think secret gardens, think anything… and you’ll find it at The Rocks.

The best way to get to The Rocks is by train to Circular Quay. If you’re exploring Sydney Harbour you can also catch a ferry from anywhere in the harbour to Circular Quay. Plan your trip via the public transport website. Driving is also an option but street parking is expensive as are the parking stations unless you’re able to get a deal online at one of the parking stations like Secure Parking or Wilson Parking.

Find out more about the history of The Rocks here.

Be bored no more

You’ll never get sick of this view. What a doozy!

Climb this big boy for the time of your life.

Another super cool stopover is this charming secret garden created amidst the ruins of colonial terrace houses. As it is named, Foundation Park, what remains is essentially the foundations and some walls of those terraces which now embrace modern rustic art fixtures, providing a pretty cool place to chill or ponder dramatically. Now usually we’d happily share locations and directions but finding this park is half the fun. There are a few ways to get to it so have fun!

Foundation Park – finders keepers… memories to savour.

Now to some more of these quirky experiences we mentioned earlier! As Doris Day said, “Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be. The future’s not ours to see…”, or is it? There are those that claim to be able to see what lies ahead and there are those that believe them. If you’re a believer drop in to the Argyle Oracle and have one of their Physic readers or Tarot readers tell you tales of your future. If you think you’ve got the gift and want to hone it, they also run workshops and clinics to help you do just that. We did drop in and have a reading to see what it was all about and to be honest we were a bit taken aback with the accuracy of the readings. Coincidence? That’s up to you to decide.

Careful what you wish for… or plan ahead with a bit of expert foresight.

Following the big kid trail we also tracked down what appears to be a kick ass treasure hunt experience, which sounds similar to an ‘Amazing Race’ type adventure. Sydney Treasure Hunt takes you on a 3 hour treasure hunt across The Rocks with clues to crack and cheats to catch! Either convince your mates this is a good idea or suck up to the boss with an awesome team building proposal.

Hari hari, krishna krishna… and a spot of shopping.

The Rocks Markets on a smashingly gorgeous Sydney day.

Build in the first 30 years of the establishment of the colony. Woah!

In another of The Rocks prime locale’s you’ll find the Sydney Theatre Company harbour side. The big wigs in this industry, they produce and host world-class plays here and in other theatres like the Sydney Opera House. If you’re in town and want to catch a show or you’ve never been to the theatre in Sydney, a night with the Sydney Theatre Company is in order.

The Museum of Contemporary Art.

If you want to go down the archeological artefact route, you’re not alone. The Rocks Discovery Museum stands with its 1850’s restored doors open, inviting you in to marvel at the evidence of The Rocks truly colourful and changing history. Although Australia is a young country, it is quite surprising how much we’ve been able to fit into our 200 and a bit years!

We’ve managed to cover quite a bit here but there is so much more to do in The Rocks. If you want more you should definitely check out The Rocks website.

Eat, Drink and be merry

1828?! Love this place, creaky floor boards and all.

We then wondered over to the Glenmore Hotel, another mainstay of The Rocks that has been around for donkeys years. This hotel kills it on a sunny day with a rooftop bar that has panoramic views of Sydney Harbour, except when the big ass bis cruise ships are parked in the Overseas Passenger Terminal. Nonetheless, a nice way to while away an afternoon.

Wait until you see the views off that there roof top!

All three of these hotels serve up a pretty nom nom fancy shmancy pub meal so you won’t go wrong with any of them. There are a few others that might take your fancy like The Argyle, the Orient Hotel since 1844 and the quaintly charming Hero of Waterloo.

Lord Nelson Brewery – The oldest continuous brewery in Sydney. Still brewin’ some fine brews too.

Ananas Bar & Brasserie – Modern French cuisine
Belgian Beer Cafe – Belgian Food and Beer
Blu Bar on 36 – Located way up high in the Shangri-La Hotel, an upmarket bar with rocking views
Cruise Bar – Frequented by celebrities, with world-class views, food and live entertainment
Quay – Famous Chef Peter Gilmore bedazzles the Sydney foreshore with innovative cuisine
Sake – Award winning contemporary Japanese cuisine
The Cut Bar & Grill – It’s all about worshipping the meat
Kobe Jones The Rocks Teppanyaki – Tops Teppanyaki, check out the daily deal websites for deals

There is loads to choose from, so much so it gets a little confusing because you want it all! You’ll find a bucket of other options on The Rocks website.

Hot tips

Look at the big ship! Spend some time with the tourists at the Overseas Passenger Terminal… or maybe don’t. Everything fun at the passenger terminal is off limits when the big ass ships are in port.

Nearby

Circular Quay, Dawes Point, Millers Point.

Location Map

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