The Rocks Sydney, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||
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Population | 629 (SAL 2021) [1] | ||||||||||||||
Postcode(s) | 2000 | ||||||||||||||
Area | 0.2 km2 (0.1 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
Location | 1 km (1 mi) from Sydney CBD | ||||||||||||||
LGA(s) | City of Sydney | ||||||||||||||
Parish | St Philip | ||||||||||||||
State electorate(s) | Sydney [2] | ||||||||||||||
Federal division(s) | Sydney [3] | ||||||||||||||
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The Rocks is a suburb, tourist precinct and historic area of Sydney's city centre, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, immediately north-west of the Sydney central business district.
The formal boundaries of the suburb named The Rocks cover the western side of Sydney Cove east of the Sydney Harbour Bridge approaches. In the north it extends to the southern base of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, in the east to the shoreline of Circular Quay and George Street, in the south to Jamison Street (thus including the area known as Church Hill), and in the west to southern approaches of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Western Distributor overpass. [4] [5]
The Rocks was established shortly after the colony's formation in 1788. It was known as Tallawoladah by the Cadigal people. [6] The original buildings were first traditional vernacular houses, of wattle and daub, with thatched roofs, and later of local sandstone, from which the area derives its name. [6] From the earliest history of the settlement, the area had a reputation as a slum and the arriving convicts' side of town, often frequented by visiting sailors and prostitutes. [6] After November 1790, many of the inhabitants were also Aboriginal. In 1823, the district had a population of about 1,200. During the late nineteenth century, the area was dominated by a gang known as the Rocks Push. It maintained this rough reputation until approximately the 1870s. [7] [8]
By the early 20th century, many of the area's historic buildings were in serious decay. In 1900, bubonic plague broke out, and the state government resumed areas around The Rocks and Darling Harbour, with the intention of demolishing them and rebuilding them. [6] More than 3,800 houses, buildings and wharves were inspected and hundreds demolished, but the continuation of these plans were brought to a halt due to the outbreak of World War I. [9] During the 1920s, several hundred buildings were demolished during the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority, with the intention of demolishing most of the original buildings, re-developing them as high-density residential dwellings. In February 1971, a group of local residents formed the Rocks Residents Group to oppose the plans. [6] They felt that the new dwellings would result in increased rents, which would force out the traditional residents of the area. The residents' group requested a green ban from the Builder's Labourers Federation, who had become increasingly active in preventing controversial developments over the previous four years. [10]
By 1973, the union had imposed the ban, and after discussions with the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority, a 'People's Plan' was developed. [11] By October 1973, it appeared that the redevelopment would proceed as originally planned, using non-union labour.[ citation needed ] For two weeks, demonstrations by local residents and unionists followed, with numerous arrests being made.[ citation needed ] Liberal Premier Robert Askin was in the midst of an election campaign, and used the protests as a means of conveying his law and order message to voters.[ citation needed ] However, the green ban stayed in place until 1975 when the state union leadership was overthrown and was ultimately successful, as can be seen in the buildings that survive today. Instead of demolishing The Rocks, renovations transformed the area into a commercial and tourist precinct. [6]
Today the Rocks is a partly gentrified area, but still contains a significant proportion of Housing Commission properties, and there is still a significant problem of urban poverty and street crime in this district.[ citation needed ] As housing stock becomes dilapidated, government policy is to sell the now extremely valuable public housing units to private owners, in the expectation that they will restore the properties. The Sirius Building and the associated "Save Our Sirius" protest group was formed to protest relocation of its residents. [12] Overall, The Rocks continues to be an important part of Sydney's cultural landscape, offering a fascinating glimpse into the city's rich history and vibrant contemporary scene.
"Church Hill" is located in the southern part of The Rocks, sometimes identified as the northern part of the Sydney central business district. [13] It is so named because the earliest churches in Australia were formed on this site, including St Patrick's (Roman Catholic), [14] St Philip's (Anglican) [15] and Scots Church (Presbyterian) [16]
The significance of Church Hill dates back to the time of Governor Arthur Phillip, who mandated compulsory Sunday church attendance for all convicts, until they rebelled and burned down the area's first church in 1798. [13]
The area gained greater prominence as Church Hill on Wednesday 1 October 1800, when incoming Governor Philip Gidley King had the foundation stone laid for St Philip's Church, which subsequently he proclaimed one of Australia's first two parishes in 1802 (the other being St John's in Parramatta). [13]
The site where St Patrick's Church currently stands is where the Roman Catholic Eucharist was first preserved in Australia, in May 1818. Celebrations for the bicentenary of this occasion were held in St Patrick's Church on Sunday 6 May 2018. [17]
The Rocks has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
At the 2021 census, 629 people were living in The Rocks. 46.4% of people were born in Australia with the next most common countries of birth including England at 7.6%, China (excluding Special Administrative Regions (SARs) and Taiwan) at 5.1%, New Zealand at 2.7%, the United States of America 2.7%, and India 2.5%. 65.5% of people only spoke English at home with the next most common languages spoken at home including Mandarin 4.9%, Cantonese 4.1%, Spanish 2.7%, Japanese 1.9%, and Italian 1.6%. The most common religious affiliations included No Religion at 39.4%, Catholic at 21.0%, Anglican at 8.4%, and Buddhism at 4.1%; a further 7.9% of respondents for this area elected not to disclose their religious status. [116]
The close proximity to Circular Quay and the views of the iconic Harbour Bridge, as well as the historic nature of many of the buildings, makes the Rocks very popular with tourists. It features a variety of souvenir and craft shops, as well as many themed and historic pubs. The Rocks Market operates each weekend, with around 100 stalls. During the week, shopping options include galleries exhibiting Australian artists as well as Australian clothing and Australian opal shops. There are numerous historic walks through the area, visiting historical buildings such as Cadmans Cottage and Sydney Observatory, and the Dawes Point Battery, which was the first fortified position in New South Wales. [117]
A passenger boat terminal and the Museum of Contemporary Art is also situated beside the Rocks area. The precinct can also be accessed by rail, as it is within walking distance of Circular Quay station.
Water Polo by the Sea is held there every year by Australian Water Polo with the Australia men's national water polo team take on the International All Stars. [118]
Susannah Place Museum is a historic house museum situated in The Rocks. It is a block of four terrace houses that was built in 1844 and had domestic occupants until 1990. It is a documentation of the urban working class community in The Rocks. The terraces in various states of modernity show the evolution of occupation over 150 years
The Rocks, as it was in 1873, is the setting for the time-slip portion of the novel Playing Beatie Bow .
Parramatta is a central suburb of the City of Parramatta and a major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) west of the Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is commonly regarded as the secondary central business district of metropolitan Sydney.
Redfern is an inner southern suburb of Sydney located 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney. Strawberry Hills is a locality on the border with Surry Hills. The area experienced the process of gentrification and is subject to extensive redevelopment plans by the state government, to increase the population and reduce the concentration of poverty in the suburb and neighbouring Waterloo.
Richmond is a historic town northwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Richmond is in the local government area of the City of Hawkesbury and is part of the Sydney metropolitan area. It is located 20 metres above sea level on the alluvial Hawkesbury River flats, at the foot of the Blue Mountains. It is about 62 km by road from Sydney, 22 km from Penrith, 25 km from Blacktown, 39 km from Parramatta, 78 km from Lithgow and 7 km from Windsor. Richmond is now part of the Sydney urban area, with access to various amenities.
Surry Hills is an inner-east suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney. Surry Hills is surrounded by the suburbs of Darlinghurst to the north, Chippendale and Haymarket to the west, Moore Park and Paddington to the east and Redfern to the south. It is often colloquially referred to as "Surry".
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The City of Blue Mountains is a local government area of New South Wales, Australia, governed by the Blue Mountains City Council. The city is located in the Blue Mountains, on the Great Dividing Range at the far western fringe of the Greater Sydney area. Major settlements include, Katoomba, Lawson, Springwood and Blaxland.
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The City of Randwick is a local government area in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1859, Randwick is the second-oldest local government area in New South Wales, after the City of Sydney. It comprises an area of 36 square kilometres (14 sq mi) and as per the 2021 census had a population of 134,252.
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Millers Point is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the north-western edge of the Sydney central business district, adjacent to The Rocks and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney.
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Playfair's Terrace are heritage-listed terrace houses located at 1–7 Atherden Street in the inner-city Sydney suburb of The Rocks in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1880. It is also known as Playfairs. The property is owned by Property NSW, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 10 May 2002.
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