THE ROCKS

When in Sydney, I found that the Australians were not unfamiliar with my name. The English and Irish were early settlers there.

We stayed in a downtown hotel at the edge of the central business district. From there, we were in walking distance to Sydney Harbour. The beautiful harbor area includes the Circular Quay nearest to where we were. It is an open walking area full of stores, open markets, street vendors, cruise ship boarding and harbor boat rentals. To the right, you could walk to the Market area and if you were in for a good walk, you could go all the way to Bennelong Point and the famous Sydney Opera House. At the far end of the harbor, you could see the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

If you walked to the left from our hotel, you came to an area known as The Rocks. It was once the slums of Sydney. Now it is a quaint area of stores and restaurants. Many of those who came to this country originally were those let out of jail in England and Ireland. This beautiful area was an open-air prison of sorts. Dwellings were made out of the local sandstone, thus the name Rocks. Visiting sailors frequented the area which was full of gambling and prostitution. Now, it is part of one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
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