First Day: Sydney

We arrived early after a 14.5 hours flight. Weather cloudy, with threat of thunderstorms.

We are staying at YHA (Youth Hostels of Australia) in the Rocks area.

The rocks, as its name suggests, forms a rocky peninsula jutting out into Sydney Harbour. It's prime real estate and people have lived here for over 300 year before the arrival of the Europeans. The Rocks became home to many of the convicts of the First Fleet who arrived in 1788. The name of the earliest residents who carved out the streets and cuts in the hilly ridges are not known. Irish rebel, Richard Byrne, lived on the site from around 1805. Since Byrne was a stone mason, he is believed responsible for some of the quarrying of the site. The Byrne famiy sold off their land bit by bit in the 1840s and 50s.The siste wa considered worth saving   so in 2006 proposals wer sought for a suitable development to safeguard the future of the site. The YHA's proposal is designed to protect the unique site and make it publicly accessible, to create  an innovative synergy between the site and The Rocks area and to conserve and interpret the site and its remains.

Photos do not work to show how the building is elevated over the site area...but it works to allow viewing of many foundaions and there are many informational displays throughout thr 3-storey building.

The buildilng is nestled near the approach to the bridge. And the approach has been  enclosed and provides space for basket ball which were in very active use at 10:00 p.m.

We can see the Opera House, all lit up and shining white from our room.