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
(311 Ratings)
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Grandtour822357
Feb 27, 2026
Excellent - Bec is an amazing tour guide. Lots of good information on the origins of Sydney She is very knowledgeable and
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Katie_z
Feb 13, 2026
Amazing Intro to Sydney - This was an outstanding introduction to Sydney and our guide Max was amazing. We went on our first day in Australia and love it. We saw so many things we would have otherwise walked by without a thought. Small group. So much history!
Review provided by Viator
Sarahlouk88
Feb 13, 2026
Perfect afternoon for a solo traveller - Today’s tour guide Max was super informative and engaging. It was the perfect mix of factual information and humour to keep everyone engaged. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour and I’m so glad I booked it as I learnt so much more than I expected. Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ina_f
Feb 6, 2026
Max gave a great... - Max gave a great historical tour. It was Easy to follow the sequence of events in the early days of Australia.
Review provided by Viator
Luis_a
Feb 6, 2026
Interesting! - Well worth it. Excellent tour guide. Very knowlegeable. Suggest he keeps in mind people may need to use a toilet during the 2-1/2 hours walk.
Review provided by Viator
Ian_c
Oct 7, 2025
Brilliant Tour!! - Fantastic tour very interesting and informative tour of Sydney and the rocks area. Tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history and culture of the area.
Review provided by Viator
Leslie_c
Aug 20, 2025
Stormy times in old Sydney - Our guide was very knowledgeable and interjected her personal ties to the history. She was engaging and well prepared. She tactfully pivoted and told her story in spite of the crazy rainy weather conditions.
Review provided by Viator
Petersu8290ad
Aug 13, 2025
Informative tour - We really enjoyed our tour. The guide was informative and friendly. We learnt a lot and were able to build on our knowledge of Australian history. Thoroughly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Abhinav_g
Oct 28, 2025
Great tour - The tour comprehensively covered the history of Sydney from the arrival of the convicts to the evolution of 'The Rocks'. Our guide, Beck, was very knowledgeable and answered all questions patiently.
Review provided by Viator
Stuartb1819
Oct 12, 2025
Guide a No-Show, Trip Advisor no reply. - Turned up 30 minutes prior, in accordance with the instructions. A NO-SHOW from the guide which I can overlook as people get ill, family matters. But NO contact before or after. Message to TripAdvisor was ignored requesting an email so have given it up. Oh well, once bitten .........
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $37
up to 14 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).