Observatory Hill & The Rocks

One winter Saturday we went up to Observatory Hill around lunchtime. We spent a good while on the lawns with the Harbour Bridge in front of us, and then wandered down into The Rocks for the afternoon.

Observatory Hill is a grassy park just above the busy streets of the city, with the Harbour Bridge right in front of it. From the top you can walk down into The Rocks, one of the oldest parts of Sydney, with old sandstone lanes, pubs and a weekend market. Parts of it are touristy, but even locals stop to take photos there.

About Observatory Hill and The Rocks

Observatory Hill is on Gadigal land, and Sydney.com says it is the highest point of Warrane (Sydney). The hill has had a few names. Early windmills made it Windmill Hill, which is why the area is still called Millers Point. A signal station built in 1825 made it Flagstaff Hill, and locals kept calling it “The Flaggie” well into the 20th century. Then Sydney Observatory was built between 1857 and 1859, and that name stuck.

The observatory had a time ball that dropped every day to tell ships in the harbour the time. It stopped working as an observatory in 1982, because the city lights and pollution had grown too much, and it is now a museum run with the Powerhouse. So this one hilltop has been a mill, a fort, a signal station, a weather station and a place to look at the stars.

Below the hill is The Rocks, one of Sydney’s oldest neighbourhoods. Sydney.com calls it the birthplace of modern Sydney. After the Europeans arrived in 1788, convicts were the first to set up homes and shops here. The sandstone lanes and restored buildings look nothing like the newer parts of the CBD.

First Impressions, a 1979 sculpture by Bud Dumas in The Rocks, with figures of the convicts, settlers and soldiers of early Sydney.

Getting there

Circular Quay and Wynyard are the closest public transport stops. Trains, light rail, buses and ferries all stop nearby, and you can pay with an Opal card or contactless. The City of Sydney says the park is a short walk from Wynyard station, The Rocks and Circular Quay.

If you start at Wynyard, you can walk up to the hill first and then go down into The Rocks. Either way works, but leaving The Rocks for last means you end where the food and drinks are.

There are slopes, stairs and old uneven paths, so wear comfortable shoes. It is not a hard walk. Just take your time.

What to see

At the top of Observatory Hill, the view is the main thing. The Harbour Bridge looks really close, and people sit on the lawns, have picnics or just watch the water. A lot of the big Moreton Bay figs were planted in the 1880s. The bandstand rotunda from 1912 is now a popular spot for weddings.

We found a spot on the grass looking straight at the bridge and just sat there for a while. I took way too many photos of the same view 😊

Me with the bridge, one of many 😀

The view of the bridge from the rotunda.

One of the big old fig trees on the hill.

Sydney Observatory is a lovely old building. On a guided tour you can go inside the Signal Master’s Cottage, climb narrow stairs up to the domes and see Australia’s oldest working telescope next to a modern 16-inch one. Powerhouse runs tours Wednesday to Sunday. Heritage works may close some areas, so check before you go.

On the walk down to The Rocks, look out for the sandstone walls, narrow stairways and bits of the harbour between the buildings. The Agar Steps, built in 1892, go from the hill down to Kent Street. Down in the lanes are some very old pubs: The Fortune of War opened in 1828, the Lord Nelson in 1831 and The Hero of Waterloo in 1845. The Rocks Discovery Museum, in a restored 1850s sandstone warehouse, is worth a stop if you want to know more about the area’s past.

From the hill we walked down along the old sandstone walls and stopped on the bridge over the Argyle Cut, looking straight down at the road cut through the rock.

Looking down into the Argyle Cut.

Just below is a little park built into the ruins of old houses. There is still a fireplace, and someone has put a table and chairs there as if people still lived in it.

The remains of an old sandstone house in The Rocks.

One of the old gas lamps in the lanes of The Rocks.

We finished the afternoon at a little café in one of the lanes. They had crocheted blankets on the chairs, so we sat wrapped up in them with tea in pretty floral cups 😀

Wrapped up in blankets at a café in The Rocks.

The Rocks Markets are on Fridays and weekends, with stalls and food around Jack Mundey Place, Playfair Street and, on weekends, George Street. Even when the markets are not on, it is a nice area to walk around and look at the old buildings and the people.

We have also brought our cousin Craig here to wander around The Rocks.

JP and our cousin Craig under the bridge at Dawes Point.

Back with Coco and Mum

In May 2024 we came back with Coco and Mum. Dogs aren’t allowed on Sydney trains, so this time we drove. We sat on the lawn with the Harbour Bridge behind us and stayed until the sun went down 😊

Coco on Observatory Hill, with the bridge behind us.

Watching the sunset with Mum and Coco.

Coco enjoying the last of the sun 😀

Tips for visiting

• Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon for the best light on the harbour.
• Book Sydney Observatory tours on the Powerhouse website and check the times first.
• Public toilets are near the Argyle Street entrance on Watson Road.
• Wear shoes that are good on cobblestones, stairs and hills.
• You can add on Circular Quay, Barangaroo or a walk over the Harbour Bridge.
• Take your time and wander down the small lanes.

Sources: History of Observatory Park, City of Sydney, Observatory Hill Park, City of Sydney, Sydney Observatory, Sydney.com, Sydney Observatory, Powerhouse, The Rocks, Sydney.com, The Rocks Market, therocks.com.

Next time we want to do the night tour at the observatory, and come back on a weekend for the markets.

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