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Pier Walsh Bay, on an old, renovated finger wharf. There is a bar and restaurant open during the show and at intermission. Booking for the restaurant is a good idea.
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Free swimming spot in the harbour! Shark netting installed. Free showers as well, but no other facilities. Cafes are close by, however.
The colony's first military church, it is still an active Anglican church.
You can climb to the top of the arch of the bridge. For those who are good with heights and enjoy a spectacular view of the harbour, there are organised climbs to the top of the bridge. This climb is more demanding than climbing a set of stairs, although it is not so demanding as the name implies. You will be fitted with special climbing suits and secured by safety tethers, you must be 10 years old or over to take the climb. The climb takes 3½ hours and a group leaves every 10 minutes. You can ascend during the day, at twilight and at night. Book your climb as early as possible as the climb is very popular. Loose items including cameras are prohibited on the climb; Bridge Climb staff will take a photo of you, but you may not take photographs yourself.
Follow Argyle St through this historic sandstone road cutting made between 1843 and 1867, made with the effort of both convict and paid labour. The sights and sounds of the convict labour, still bound in chains and working only with crude tools, horrified the locals and the cutting was abandoned after just three years. A long interlude lasted before the city council eventually linked Millers Point and The Rocks together with the use of paid labour and explosives.
Australia's oldest observatory. It has a variety of exhibitions, a “beanbag planetarium” and of course, telescopes. The parks and views of the harbour from the Observatory Hill are exceptional. It's worth a visit even if you have no interest in astronomy and are not even going into the building. You can book a night tour guided by an astronomer, where you're allowed to use the telescope and see what is visible during night time. The old telescopes here aren't the most powerful around; the portable telescopes set up are just as powerful as the large ones in the domes. It makes for a fun, informative night out. Children are catered for in both the daytime and evening sessions.
Owned by Sydney Living Museums. Built in 1844, Susannah Place Museum preserves a row of four terrace houses that incorporate a re-created 1915 corner store, providing a rare opportunity to construct patterns of domestic working class life from the mid 1840s to the late 20th century. It is evidence of the rich community that once existed in The Rocks. The modest interiors and rear yards illustrate the restrictions of 19th century inner city life.