The Rocks, Australian Hotel

The Australian Hotel is located on the corner of Cumberland Street and Gloucester Street in The Rocks. This heritage listed pub that was built in 1913 in the Edwardian architectural style. It retains most of its original features and features a unique split level bar. The original Australian Hotel was built in 1824 in George Street but was demolished during the plague to prevent outbreaks. The licence was transferred to this building, making it the oldest continuously licensed pub in the City of Sydney.

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The Rocks, Australian Steamship Navigation Company building

This small road bridge at The Rocks carries Elevated Road from Hickson Road to the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay. The road is glistening at night after a rain shower with the Australian Steamship Navigation Company building on the left and another redeveloped warehouse building in the background.

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The Rocks, markets

This old bicycle provides has been recycled into a unique vehicle to promote The Rocks Markets.

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The Rocks, Argyle Cut, bridge

This bridge (top), which sits above the Argyle Cut in The Rocks, carries a roadway, railway, walkway and cycleway from the central business district to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Argyle Cut was hewn out of the sandstone ridge of The Rocks to connect Sydney Cove with Darling Harbour and Millers Point. It was started in 1843 by convicts with hammers and chisels but was not completed until 1859 with the use of city council labour and explosives. "Argyle Cut", created by Mark Dyson, was a geometric pattern of lights displayed on the historic arch (bottom) as part of the Vivid Sydney festival.

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The Rocks, First Fleet Park, Vivid Sydney

This interactive lighting installation was located in First Fleet Park at The Rocks, near Circular Quay, during the Vivid Sydney festival. "Immersion" was created by Australia's Martin Bevz and Kathryn Clifton. People were able to move around the LED tube lighting, reflecting their movement through the installation via a live video relay of still and dynamic images.

Campbells Cove, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Vivid Sydney

This artwork near the water's edge of Campbells Cove at The Rocks, with a spectacular backdrop of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, was installed for the Vivid Sydney festival. "Ember", created by Joe Snell was a 30 metre long glowing installation that pulsates between red and orange. It evokes the beauty of dying embers and the danger in the potential of an 'ember attack' that is synonymous with Australian bush fires. It tantalises with its warm ambience on a winter's night, drawing you closer to touch the glowing coals. It also doubled up as a bench for the audience of the Fire Dance performance every hour.

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Circular Quay, Vivid Sydney, waves and fish

These artworks, located around Circular Quay and at The Rocks, were part of the Vivid Sydney festival. "Light Wave Action" (above) was designed by Haron Robson’s lightmatters team in Australia in collaboration with Bow Jaruwangsanti from Thailand, Kristy Philp from Fiji, Christa Van Zoeren from the Netherlands. Visitors could wander through this wave-like sculpture for a multi-sensory experience, inspired by nature, reflecting the subtle colour of twilight skies and paying homage to the sea – representing nature's power in the movement and formation of waves. "School" (below) designed by Jon Voss of Australia was a large group of fish seemingly swimming in a continuous circle of variable light through the limbs of a tree. Each fish gives off a soft glow intensified by the rough-cut edges of its skeletal form. Individually, they emit a low light but together as a school, the light is intensified. It imitates the shimmering light and movement of schooling fish but floating here in an urban environment.

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The Rocks, Vivid Sydney, The Georges

This row of heritage terrace houses in George Street at The Rocks was lit up for the Vivid Sydney festival. "The Georges" was a design by Gordon Watson, using waves of colour to highlight both the diversity of the residents who lived here over the years and the ever changing population as older residents move on and new dwellers arrive.

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The Rocks, Vivid Sydney, Officers House

This heritage building lit up for the Vivid Sydney festival was the Officers House in colonial days. The "Officers House" design was created by Vessi Ivanova and Thomas Stevens from Australia. The building was painted with dynamic light colours inside and outside, which constantly changed.

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Campbells Cove, Vivid Sydney, FireDance

This show on the wharves around Campbells Cove at The Rocks was a spectacle of dancing fire and music, during the Vivid Sydney festival. "FireDance" was created by Australian pyrotechnics company Howard & Sons, which has produced some of the world's most memorable fireworks shows since 1922. The show involved 40 firejets, that flare and flame in a choreographed balletic performance to the Stravinsky's classical "Firebird Suite" and Katy Perry's pop hit "Firework", remixed by Peewee Ferris.

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The Rocks, Cadman's Cottage, Vivid Sydney

Cadman's Cottage, was one of the heritage buildings that was lit up for the Vivid Sydney festival. The colourful and playful display of lights on the exterior of this museum, called "Cadman's Playground", was created by Steve Furzey and Kam Dahtt.

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The Rocks, Rocks Square, Vivid Sydney

This lighting design artwork is hanging above Rocks Square, just off Playfair Street at the Rocks, as part of the Vivid Sydney festival. "Illuminate", created by Daniel Mercer and Richard Neville, with highly efficient light sources using less power than the existing lights normally in the square. The 140 hanging tubes filled with individually controllable LEDs produce 9000 pixels of light, lighting the space with continuously changing colours and patterns.

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The Rocks, Argyle Street, Vivid Sydney

These artworks, located along Argyle Street at The Rocks and Millers Point, are part of the Vivid Sydney festival. "Web of Light" (top) created by Ruth McDermott and Ben Baxter hangs above two buildings at the entrance to Cambridge Street. It highlights the beauty and mystery of a spider's web using around 1000 chandelier crystals to refract natural and artificial light to mimic water droplets on a web. "Eye See You" (bottom) created by German artist Zymryte Hoxhaj is located in front of the cliffs of Observatory Hill. Coloured lights reflect off more than 300 handmade, printed puppets who watch you with their giant eye.

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The Rocks, First Impressions, The Settlers

"First Impressions" is a sculpture located in Playfair Street in The Rocks, and created by Bud Dumas in 1979. This sandstone relief is a memorial to the convicts, soldiers and settlers who made up the original settlement at The Rocks. The side of the sculpture shown here features "The Settlers". Australia's first eleven free immigrants landed in Sydney in 1793. 

Campbells Cove, wharf

The view from Campbells Cove wharf at The Rocks, out across Sydney Harbour and the Sydney Opera House. Campbells Cove is named after merchant Robert Campbell, who took up residence on land bought here in 1798, building warehouses and private wharves.

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Sydney Harbour Bridge, Greenhouse

'Greenhouse by Joost' was a temporary eco-friendly cafe with spectacular views installed on the shore at Campbells Cove in The Rocks. The building was created by artist Joost Bakker and built using recycled materials. Three old shipping containers made up one of the walls and were decorated with a mural featuring butterflies and children playing. This view is from the Overseas Passenger Terminal towards the Harbour Bridge. The cafe closed this week after eight successful weeks and since it was quite popular there are plans to rebuild it in a permanent location. You can see a daytime of the cafe from another angle here.

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The Rocks Markets (Theme Day: Open Air Markets)

The Rocks Markets are held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This view is down Argyle Street to Circular Quay. A Farmers' Market is held in this section on a Friday with food stalls and freshly prepared takeaway food. On Saturday and Sunday the markets also extend into Playfair Street and George Street. The weekend market features everything from food to art, fashion, jewellery, cosmetics and homewares.

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The Rocks, Rawson Institute for Seamen

This view of the Rawson Institute for Seamen, formerly the Mariner's Church, at The Rocks is from Circuar Quay West. The original Mariners' Church building in George Stret was designed by John Bibb in the Victorian Free Classical style in temple form and built in 1859. Alterations were designed by William Kent in Federation Free Classical style in 1909. A new chapel was built in the Inter-War Mediterranean or Romanesque style In 1927. The Bethel Union, which built the original church was involved in missionary activity among seamen. They leased the Mariners' Church to the Missions to Seamen in 1835, creating a mission for neglected seamen. The complex included accomodation, a hall for concerts and dining, smoking rooms, a library and a gymnasium. The two organisations combined functions and after Sir Henry Rawson instigated extensions which were carried out in 1910, the complex was renamed The Rawson Institute for Seamen. These days the complex is a gallery.

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The Rocks, police station

This building on the corner of George Street and Argyle Street at The Rocks became the police station in 1998. The Rocks local area command police station was a replacement for the small police station located opposite in George Street and another in Phillip Street. I took this photo a few months ago before construction work began for the extensions to The Museum of Contemporary Art next door on George Street extending behind this building to Argyle Street and leading down to Circular Quay.