In the evening did a ‘free’ walking tour of the Rocks.  This is one of the oldest regions in Sydney.  The convicts were sent here and it was just a rock when they arrived, hence the name, they had to excavate and build everything.  They made this area they made their own.  We also found out when and why they sent convicts here.  After the British lost the war in America they had nowhere to send convicts.  Jails were overflowing in UK, so where could you send people – Australia.  The first convict ships arrived in 1788.  Part of a statue commerating the pioneering men and women (convicts and settlers), women and soldiers (on the other sides of the statue) who settled in Sydney after 1788.  At the bottom of the statue you can see the shackles.  This image is a bit overstated as most convicts worked for the government during the day but worked for themselves the rest of the time, building houses, opening shops, running pubs etc.

This is Cadman’s Cottage and is where the coxswain and crew of the governor’s boats originally lived.  In this context the coxswain was reasonable for all shipping in Sydney Harbour.  The Rocks was a known area of prostitution and skulduggery, so it was safer to house sailors here that let them loose in the Rocks!

Susannah Place – dates from 1840s, four little houses and corner shop remain.  All a museum now, complete with outhouses and basement kitchens.  View of front and shop window.

View of back yards.

These backyards of tenement houses just down from Susannah Place.  Great washing lines:

Directly opposite Susannah Place is site of archaeological dig (called the Big Dig).  There was an outbreak of bubonic plague in 1901.  The Rocks area was pretty run down by then and the government seized the opportunity to knock the lot down and start again and that’s what they started to do.  Excavation of area now occupied by Sydney Harbour YHA has shown remains of over 40 houses, a bakery, an abattoir and hotels and pubs.  Great idea they have built the YHA over the top in such a way as to leave all of ground floor visible.

Demolition of various sites continued until the locals – who had nowhere else to go - began a ‘Save our neighbourhood’ type campaign.  A lot of people in area where general labourers and so they managed to persuade the builders union not to demolish anything in the area.  Local government turned to other work forces but their respective unions were all persuaded to join the embargo.  Upshot, the dispute lasted for three years before the local government backed down.  So some of the oldest houses still remain in Australia.  If they hadn’t the skyline would have been replaced by this type of housing

Lots of debate about which is the oldest pub in Sydney.  We discovered that they don’t mean pub but licence since some of the buildings have been replaced several times.  Here’s one of the contenders: The Lord Nelson Hotel, built in 1836 and liquor licence in 1841.

This is Australian Hotel built in early 20^th Century.  The odd shape is because some of the streets were realigned when they built the Sydney Harbour Bridge.