Led by acclaimed Sydney author and historian, Dr Ian Hoskins, this small group walk (max. 8 people), takes you from some of Sydney’s oldest places to its newest. We start at Bennelong Point, site of the world-renowned Sydney Opera House, and named after the Wongal man who lived there among the British colonists in the 1790s. We walk across Circular Quay, through the Rocks / Tallawoladah and Millers Point to end at Barangaroo, named after the formidable Gameraigal / Cammeraygal woman, Bennelong’s wife, who remained wary of the colonists. Barangaroo is now home to Sydney’s most controversial developments.

Ian walks by appointment on Sunday afternoons (maximum 8 people) between 2PM and 5PM. Cost is $130pp min. 4 and $120pp – between 5 – 8.

For bookings, contact us [email protected]

You’ll discover

• How Bennelong, Barangaroo and other first harbour people lived on the waterway
• How one of the world’s most famous harbours, evolved from a penal outpost to one of the busiest ports in the British Empire, and then to a harbour of two engineering and architectural wonders – the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House
• The story of Sydney’s oldest precinct, the Rocks, its architectural and social history and how the area was saved from demolition in the 1970s.
• The development and redevelopment of Millers Point before and after the outbreak of bubonic plague in 1901.
• The controversial redevelopment of East Darling Harbour / Millers Point into the precinct Barangaroo with its high-rise casino and headland park.

From Bennelong Point to Barangaroo provides an excellent understanding of the natural, social and cultural history of Sydney and its remarkable harbour.

You can also check out our daily heritage walks in Sydney on this website or email us at

[email protected]

Your guide – author and historian, Dr Ian Hoskins

Ian Hoskins is an award-winning author and one of Sydney’s foremost historians. He is an experienced tour guide who has worked as an academic and public historian, and a curator, in Sydney for 30 years. Ian’s acclaimed book Sydney Harbour: a history, first published in 2009, was republished in 2022 with an updated chapter on Barangaroo. His Australia and the Pacific: a history was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Australian History Prize in 2021.

Practicalities

The walk is suitable to people 12 years-old and upward. You’ll be walking for 3 hours with breaks. Schedule another 30 minutes at least for a drink and a chat afterwards. Wear comfortable shoes, a hat and bring sunscreen and water. An umbrella and/or rain coat is a good idea if showers are forecast. The walk won’t proceed if heavy rain is predicted.

It may be possible to organise alternative routes and private walks for those with access and mobility limitations.

Special group and other enquiries contact us at [email protected]

Book purchases

You can buy signed copies of Sydney Harbour: a history and Australia and the Pacific: a history for the discounted price of $30 incl. GST on request.