The Rocks Self Guided Walking Tour

A crowd moves among the weekend market stalls in Playfair Street, surrounded by historic buildings including Old Sydney Holiday Inn and the Australian Steam Navigation Building, with the Sydney Opera House in the background

Why go there

This harbourside neighbourhood of sandstone warehouses and merchants' houses has been transformed into a cosmopolitan gateway to Sydney. Today there are art galleries, boutiques, cafes, a weekend market, great shopping and some of the best views of Sydney's icons.

Set your own pace on a Rocks Walking Tour when a guide explains the quirky stories, scandals and history of an earlier era.

If you pay a small fee over the internet, you can download audio files, a map and instructions. The audio files can be saved to a CD, iPod, audio device or MP3 player. You can also download self-guided tours from Bondi to Bronte, the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and historic Balmain.

Don't miss

  • The Rocks wheelchair accessible tour, which is a recent addition to the Self-Guided Walking Tours collection.

Access for all

Access Summary

Mobility accessBlindness and low vision access

Getting around

Mobility accessBlindness and low vision access

The Rocks wheelchair accessible tour starts at Circular Quay, wandering through The Rocks to the historic Lord Nelson Hotel before returning via an archaeological dig in the area. The walk takes about 90 minutes.

The Lord Nelson Hotel and Brewery, one of Sydney's oldest hotels, is a three-storey smooth-faced sandstone building in the Old Colonial Regency style, with sash windows, arched doorways and large fixed multi-pane windows at street level, on either side of a splayed corner

Audio files identify sections which may be difficult to access, such as the hill down Suez Canal which is bumpy and narrow where it meets George Street.

Rough sandstone paving in Suez Canal leading down from Harrington Street to a narrow gap between buildings at the George Street end

The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority has been improving access for visitors in recent years and the accessible walking tour may well suit people with impaired vision.

An accessible toilet is located in the Sydney Visitors Centre, which has ramp access from the Rocks Square.

Paved ramp with handrails leading from Rocks Square to the Sydney Visitors Centre and food outlets

Eating out

Visitors to the Rocks can enjoy plenty of excellent dining options, from harbourside restaurants to historic pubs with outdoor gardens, and quaint cafes.

How to get there

Map

Download The Rocks access map (PDF, 1.08MB)

To view the map, you need Adobe Reader

Get Adobe Reader

A crowd moves among the weekend market stalls in Playfair Street, surrounded by historic buildings including Old Sydney Holiday Inn and the Australian Steam Navigation Building, with the Sydney Opera House in the background

Access Summary

Mobility accessBlindness and low vision access

Contact Details

Email:
enquiries@selfguidedwalkingtours.com

Website:
Self Guided Walking Tours
(www.selfguidedwalkingtours.com)

Price

Fee charged per walking tour download.

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