Explore with a private guide the first streets and squares of the early colony in Sydney.

The Rocks - Australia's oldest urban settlement located on the water's edge of the city. Once a lawless area inhabited by convicts, drunks and prostitutes, it is now a fashionable and trendy area with heritage pubs and superbly restored Georgian townhouses. See the converted sandstone warehouses and some of Sydney's most elegant hotels, outdoor cafes, restaurants and art and craft galleries.

Walk with a guide along Macquarie Street to see some of this country's most historic buildings - Government House, NSW Parliament House, Sydney Hospital, The Mint, Hyde Park Barracks and St Mary's Cathedral - the largest church in Australia.

Australia's first government-built convict barracks - Hyde Park Barracks were designed by Australia's first architect Francis Greenway and now included in the National and UNESCO Heritage List.

During the walking private tour with your guide why not visit the Museum of Sydney with its collection of many artefacts from Indigenous Australia and the Pacific, and a record of human and regional cultural diversity or Australian National Maritime Museum, where you can see Spirit of Australia - the fastest boat in the world, or HMB Endeavour - Captain Cook's vessel of discovery.

Sydney is regarded as the birthplace of the nation. In 1788, following Captain Cook's charts, ships carrying the first settlers and convicts sailed into the harbour to found a penal colony. Today multicultural Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is ranked among the best places in the world to live.

During this relaxed walking tour you will:

• Step back into Australia's past and learn about the hard life of the convicts and the first colonists
• Discover the traditions of the Aboriginal people of the region and see their unusual 'X-ray' paintings in the galleries
• Look into the first colonial houses, historic hotels and pubs, and, if you wish, taste a glass of freshly brewed beer in the city's oldest hotel
• Walk the length of the shortest street in Sydney in just 30 steps
• Hear the stories of the Rum Hospital and the convict barracks, how the first money was printed and where the 'holey dollar' came from, and rub the nose of the bronze boar, Il Porcellino, for good luck
• See the unique plants of Australia in the Royal Botanic Garden and find out why the trees do not burn and why their seeds need fire
• Hear the story of the difficult construction of the Opera House and the ancient temple influences in its design
• Learn about the builders of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the scandalous story of its opening
• Climb to the highest point of The Rocks for a superb panorama of the harbour

The walk combines very well with a harbour cruise - by ferry, water taxi, yacht or a lunch cruise - with fascinating facts about the harbour's national parks and the history of its settlement (harbour transport tickets are not included). After the tour you can visit the Opera House and the Sydney Aquarium on your own. Evening walking tours are also available, with an optional visit to Sydney Observatory to view the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere.

Whatever you do, we guarantee you will fall in love with our beautiful city!