Explore this city's notorious colonial beginnings as we unpack its colourful convict heritage in the rocks and quay.
Once upon a time (not so long ago), an bizarre colonial experiment took place on the rocky shores of Sydney’s ancient Indigenous harbour. Thousands of miles from home, England’s banished thieves were locked in a prison with ocean walls, forced to find food & cut through stone.
Defying the odds, their shanty camp survived and grew—clutching to life on the banks of a freshwater stream. Gardens were grown, goods were traded & rum soon ranked as both currency & cure.
As centuries changed, The Rocks was carved into cottages and corridors. Scallywags sailed into shore. Larrikins lurked in the laneways & many a clever convict swapped their chains for riches.
Journey Walks invites you to share a part in this remarkable story. This tour will keep your ears pricked, your eyes open and your passion for the past brought to life.
This tour is not recommended for children under 12 years of age as it involves adult content, 2.5 hours of history and walking (which can often be little much for younger guests) and ends at a pub in The Rocks.
While mostly on flat ground, several staircases are included in our walk due to the layout of The Rocks, and thus the tour requires an ability to ascend and descend these flights. It is also important that guests are able to maintain their balance on cobbled surfaces, over grass and on sloped ground. Unfortunately, these factors (especially the stairs) prevent easy access for those with strollers or wheelchairs — making the tour unsuitable for those with limited mobility.
A good level of English is recommended for this tour as the historical content will be brought to life through detailed stories and information (this is a talking tour just as much as a walking tour) and is currently not available in any other languages.
Journey Walks welcomes passengers with special needs or disabilities. However, guests are required to advise us, in advance, of any physical, medical or other special requirements as not all locations may have the required facilities or access.
Journey Walks operate tours in historic areas, and due to occupational health and safety requirements, we strongly
recommend wearing closed shoes on all our tours.
If you need to cancel your tour for any reason please notify Journey Walks as soon as possible.
Our cancellation and refund policy is as follows:
If you cancel your booking:
If you change your booking date:
Your voucher(s) and booking information will be included in the confirmation email you will receive shortly after purchasing the experience on Amazed.com.
If the booking needs to be first confirmed by the host, you will receive your Amazed voucher within 24-48 hours of purchase.
Kathy Bond
a month agoWe just enjoyed our second Journey Walks tour with Max, we have done Sydney's Convict Colony around the Quay & The Rocks and Once Upon a Crime in Paddington. They were both outstanding, the first was a gift voucher from our daughter - she knew we'd love it and we did indeed! So the second was a must and there'll be more! We have both lived in Sydney all our lives but there is so much you don't notice or see or even know about the exciting and fascinating stories that Max shares with such brilliance and passion. These tours are so in depth and a must for locals or tourists to learn so much about our beautiful city. I believe school kids should do the convict tour mainly for their general knowledge about what really happened! Planning our next "walk" soon! You have to do it!
Ciara Diane
a month agoThe convicts tour was one of my highlights of my entire time travelling the East Coast. The tour guide was very enthusiastic and you can tell he has such a depth oh knowledge and passion for the history he was guiding us through. Thoroughly enjoyed. Support local small businesses and book with them as opposed to booking a generic tour with a big company, it’s so worth it :)
Emily Vertosick
4 months agoI loved the Sydney Convict Colony tour. Our tour guide Beck gave us a great overview of the history of the area and I learned a lot in only a few hours. Beck was very knowledgeable about the area, gave good local recommendations, and was conscientious about our comfort and our tour experience given the very hot temperatures that day. I would recommend Journey Walks and would love to try another one of their tours on another visit to Sydney.
Russell Jackson
5 months agoHad the most amazing time on the Rum and Rascals walking tour of The Rocks. This is the second tour we have done with Max and it was great fun. If you want to learn something new about Sydney or visit a few hidden gems in The Rocks this is the tour for you. Already looking forward to our next tour with Max.
Sue Wright
a year agoHighly recommend Max's tour of Sydney's Convict and early settler history. Great locations and stories, as you weave your way around Circular Quay and The Rocks. Whether you're a visitor to Sydney, or a local, you'll learn so much and see so many beautiful spots. Loved it so much we went and did the Once Upon a Crime in Paddington Tour which was amazing!! Back alleys and seedy stories, so much local history in one tour. Thanks Max.