The Rocks is the name of the old and historic area of Sydney near the Sydney harbor. It's named after the rock quarries that convict prisoners worked to create the building materials for the new prison colony in the late 1700's. Buildings and public places of the eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth-century still remain and there is a feeling of history here. We took a walking tour of the Rocks area to learn more about this interesting place. Many of the original buildings that weren't hooked up to water were razed in the early 1900's when bubonic plague broke out. Other efforts were made to demolish the original buildings but in 1968 an all-out effort was made to preserve what was left of this historic area. New development now stands alongside the older brick and sandstone buildings, and an archaeological site shows visitors the footings and history of the old settlement. 

We visited several pubs on our tour and went back to the Rocks area later to visit a few more . The eating and drinking establishments are plentiful in this area with a diversity of offerings. We also visited the market set up under tented canopies on Saturdays and Sundays and enjoyed wandering through the stalls and looking at the merchandise. It really is one of the nicer markets we've visited with hand-crafted and high quality merchandise on offer.

We've spent days just exploring the interesting areas of Sydney. One day we took the ferry to Watson Bay and had lunch on the beach. Wonderful and sunny day. Other days we walked across Sydney Bridge, watched children at an Easter egg hunt, and enjoyed the Secret Garden. Another day we re-visited the Rocks and tried a beer at the oldest pubs in the area. One even has a basement where in the old days drunk patrons were taken to the basement and carried through secret tunnels to the docks and shanghaied onto waiting ships.

You'll also see some pictures we took on our second visit to the Blue Mountains and Scenic World. We had a beautiful day this time and saw the waterfalls, canyons and rock formations at Scenic World. This is a gorgeous place, known as the "Grand Canyon" of Australia.

In two days on April 22 we are boarding the RCCL Explorer of the Seas to begin our voyage back to the US. It will take 24 days, crossing the International Date Line, and visiting islands such as Vanuatu, Mystery Island, Fiji and Hawaii. Once we reach Seattle, we are immediately boarding another ship, the NCL Sun, for a two week Alaskan Cruise. We won't have internet access during our five weeks on the ships, but we'll take lots of pictures and post again after June 1 when we arrive back in Phoenix.
  
Enjoy the pics!