The Rocks area is one of the oldest spots on Sydney harbour and a big tourist draw. These recommendations will get you away from the hoards.

The  Rocks area in Sydney is justifiably famous but it can get a little busy.  Here are some ideas for getting away from the melee and exploring some less obvious corners of this special place.

Where better than to start at the pub?! The Lord Nelson Hotel is a great lunch spot and an escape from the main strip. It is only about 15 minutes scenic walk away at the top of Argyle Street through the Argyle Cut – work was started in 1843 by convicts equipped with only hammers and chisels and it took 18 years to open the passage through the solid rock. It is the oldest pub in Sydney, dating back to 1842 and sits on a street corner in a pleasantly old area of town. There is a good menu – excellent fish and chips – and a great selection of home brewed ales, which are actually served by the pint.

Simon likes the Nelson’s Blood, which is similar to an English bitter but served cold as we are in Australia! Other aptly named choices are Three Sheets and Victory Ale. Sit inside or grab one of the outside tables on a nice day.

Looking across the road you cannot fail to spot a big hill with some nice old sandstone buildings.  If you are there at 1 pm, you might notice a large yellow ball dropping down a pole. This is the Sydney Observatory which dates back to 1858 and the ball was dropped daily at the same hour so that ships captains could make sure they had the correct time; the practice continues to this day. It has a fabulous little grassy park around it with some big, shady Moreton Bay fig trees.

There are superb views out to the Harbour Bridge and the surroundings inlets and bays and it quite often picks up a cooling breeze. It is a place to sit for a while or picnic, watching the comings and goings of the harbour; few people make the climb so it is often a beautifully quiet spot.

The Observatory is free to visit and has a neat little museum which covers astronomy and the transit of Venus which prompted Captain Cook’s 1769 voyage. There are also occasional exhibitions: when we were last there they had the 2018 David Malin Awards for sky photography, with some stunning entries. Tom Elliott’s Barrenjoey Milky Way Arch was breathtaking and very clever.

As you wander back down Argyle Street to the Rocks, keep an eye out for Gelatissimo Ice Creams to the left on George Street: they have a great range of flavours and a little courtyard with seating out the back.

All of the above can be visited in a lazy day of meandering : the best way to enjoy Sydney!