The Rocks Tour: Discover Sydney's Colonial History

Uncover the scallywag stories of convicts, soldiers, sailors, rum, and rebellions on a walking tour of Sydney’s colonial birthplace, The Rocks. Led by vibrant historians, this tour brings history to life through storytelling and visual imagery.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Journey Walks - Meet you guide at our Journey Walks starting point in front of Customs House at Circular Quay for an introduction. Your guide will be located on right hand side of the building if facing the entrance with a CONVICT HISTORY tour folder.
What's Included
  • 2.5 hour walking tour of 20 historic sites
  • Tour ends in The Rocks with local pub and cafe recommendations
  • Visual aids including historic photos, maps, and portraits
  • Inside visit at Customs House with Sydney scale model view
  • Expert guidance from a local crime historian
What's Not Included
  • Food is not included on this tour, but your tour guide will have fantastic local recommendations
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Get ready for a riveting journey through Sydney’s historical epicenter, The Rocks, in this engaging walking tour. You and your fellow explorers will dive into intriguing tales of convicts, military personnel, seamen, and revolts fueled by rum. Dynamic historians will lead the tour, engaging you with compelling narratives, vivid visuals, and…

Location
Customs House
Alfred Street
This tour meets in front of CUSTOMS HOUSE (31 Alfred Street Circular Quay). Your guide will be located outside the building on right hand-side if facing the entrance. Your guide will have a white tour folder that says CONVICT HISTORY TOUR and will check you in.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(297 Ratings)
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Safari149602
Apr 23, 2025
An excellent tour. - We did this tour today and it was excellent. Guide knowledgeable, delivered information clearly and precisely. The historic pictures of the sites we visited really help us to understand the history of the area. However, this is a long tour and I wonder if the two subject area, IE the Rocks and the first settlers might be better done as two walks. Nonetheless, so glad to have done this .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tripbollocks
Apr 12, 2025
Great way to learn the history of the start of Australia - Max had excellent knowledge and presentation. Highly recommend to persons interested in how the colonies that grew to become Australia began.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anne_b
Apr 2, 2025
Excellent tour of the history of The Rocks - This was a fantastic walking tour, Max certainly knows his history and gave us so much information, there is no doubt that everyone was impressed with what we learnt about the early start of Sydney and how it was built. Some great humourous stories. I loved The Rocks area and I met some lovely ladies and we all went for lunch together afterwards. A perfect end to a perfect tour. Thank you Max
Review provided by Viator
Linda
Mar 27, 2025
Great tour to learn the history of Sydney and see interesting sites. - Very informative tour with entertaining stories and interesting locations. Enthusiastic tour leader made the tour very enjoyable. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Simon_m
Mar 26, 2025
Excellent tour. Great... - Excellent tour. Great history - gave us a good understanding of Sydney’s founding. Max certainly knew his stuff!
Review provided by Viator
Rkhughes57
Mar 26, 2025
Great Value! - Excellent tour, substantive information, engaging delivery. We could tell that the information was accurate and well-grounded: not typical “tour guide urban myth BS” that some tours offer. Great overview of the history and geography of Sydney and the convict culture of the Rocks. Note: This tour covered a lot ground! Some hills and stairs, too.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Austin_b
Mar 3, 2025
Great tour guide - This walking tour was brilliant, the guide has really studied his stuff and knew everything, full of energy and passion aswell
Review provided by Viator
818suea
Mar 3, 2025
Fantastic tour with Max - Max had an excellent knowledge of the topic. The way it was delivered reinforced what we had been told/seen earlier with stories that painted a real picture. Time flew by as he was so engaging. Can’t recommend enough. Worth every cent.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joan_o
Feb 26, 2025
Walking tour focused on... - Walking tour focused on Sydney's history and its earliest settlers - who they were, why they came, where they were from, and what life was like for them. Our guide really brought to life what these people found when they arrived in terms of geography and climate. The tour ends in The Rocks which is a combination of preserved original houses and home sites and today's repurposed buildings for restaurants, bars, & shopping. We took this tour on a hot sunny day, and the guide was always sure to keep us in the shade when possible. Overall distance and many stairs call for sensible footwear!
Review provided by Viator
Brenda_r
Feb 14, 2025
Excellent historical tour - Very interesting tour Lots of history filled with stories about people. Excellent tour. Choose this with confidence.
Review provided by Viator
From $33
up to 14 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).