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The Rocks Pub Tours in Minibuses
On The Rocks Pub Tour we'll visit these pub and others. Be dropped off and picked up at the front door as we make our way around the historic Rocks area.
Discover which of these pubs is Sydney's oldest pub. Chat with the bar staff and locals, they all have "new" information on which is Sydney's oldest pub. Hear stories from the staff of secret tunnels and cellars used to shanghai drunks into service.
The pub tour starts at your nominated starting point in Sydney and we visit many of the finest pubs in The Rocks.
The Rocks Pub Crawl is a 4-6 hour charter service terminating at The Fortune of War, CBD area or desired Sydney location.
Lunch is available at all pubs.
The Rocks Pub Crawl is a 4-6 hour charter service terminating at The Fortune of War, CBD area or desired Sydney location.
Lunch is available at all pubs.
A Rocks Pub Tour is a fantastic way to show your international family and friends or interstate guests the warm atmosphere of The Rocks and its historic pubs.
Various types of pub crawls available on request.
Special conditions apply on all pub crawls.
Sydney's Oldest Pub Debate:
The Lord Nelson:
On 29th June 1831 Richard Phillips obtained a liquor licence for the Shipwright Arms on the north-east corner of Kent and Argyle streets. The next year, because of the support of the seafarers and the workers on Observatory Hill, he changed the name to The Sailor's Return. In 1838 Phillips sold to a plasterer, William Wells, who lived on the opposite corner in a two storey colonial home he built in 1836 using sandstone blocks quarried from the area at the base of Observatory Hill. Wells continued to operate the pub opposite his home firstly as the Sailors Return, and in 1840 as the Quarryman's Arms.
In 1841 he sold and on 1st May 1841 he obtained a liquor licence for his home which he then called The Lord Nelson. The hotel has now been restored to its former grandeur with the aid of an 1852 photograph.
On the walls you will see many interesting artefacts including an original "Times" newspaper of 7th November 1805 with details of the Battle of Trafalgar and Lord Nelson's death. A copy of the hotel's first licence and other interesting pieces helps give the hotel its authentic 1800s atmosphere.
Sydney's first and only Boutique Brewery is famous throughout the globe for its fine, award winning natural ales. The Lord brews six 100% natural ales.
The Hero of Waterloo:
The History of the Hero of Waterloo Hotel begins in 1843. George Paton, builder of the Garrison Church in 1840, bought the adjoining land from Jonathon Clarke (The Shipwrights Arms, 1831). Paton, a stonemason, built The Hero from sandstone brought up from the Argyle Cut. A favourite drinking spot for the Garrison Troops of the Colonial days, this lovely hotel with its burning open log fires, well stocked bar and warm hospitality is a must for any tourist visiting The Rocks.
There are many stories surrounding The Hero. The best known is that of the tunnel which runs from the cellars of the hotel to the Harbour. The tunnel was used for rum smuggling and involuntary recruitment of sailors. A young man might find himself drunk at the bar, dropped through a trap door into the cellar, dragged through the tunnel, to awake next morning at sea shanghaied aboard a clipper, and so legend goes.
A maze of stone cellars under The Hero bears silent witness to its nefarious past. This Historic Australian landmark is classified by the Heritage Council and The National Trust.
The Fortune of War:
The northern end of the Portable Hospital extended over this allotment in 1790. By 1830 Samuel Terry had erected houses and shops on allotment No. 7. The surveyor's plan of 1834 listed S Terry as claimant to this property. By 1839 the shop had become a Public House called the 'Fortune of War'. The Sydney Municipal Council Rate Books of 1845 described the Public House as being built of stone walls and shingled roof with three storeys and ten rooms 'with every convenience'. The hotel traded as the Marine Hotel 1856-1878. By 1858 a Coach House and stabling were added to the Hotel. Robert White Moore became the owner after 1861 when the Partition Deed of 1860 on Rosetta Terry's estate was declared. After Mr Moore's death in 1861, Mrs Moore continued in the hotel. However, by 1873 Mrs Francis Cowell was the licensee with Thomas Moore the proprietor. The stone hotel building stood high over the footpath after road and footpath formation was completed in 1867. Alan Yend was the licensee from 1879 to 1881. In 1882 Arthur Buchanan became the licensee/manager of the hotel. A further seven rooms were added to the hotel. Buchanan remained licensee until 1900 when Archibald Laing became the new licensee. In 1920 Tooth & Company lodged plans with the City Council for the demolition of the existing hotel and the erection of a new hotel. By 1922 the present Fortune of War Hotel was erected.
Reputedly Sydney's oldest pub. The Fortune is a pretty popular stop. A casual passerby may think it's simply a small, workmanlike bar, however the Fortune is actually a lot more spacious than it looks from outside on George Street.
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