Skip to content

The Rocks Cafe

OUR STORY

Our Story - The Rocks Cafe

OUR STORY

99 George Street has been in continuous Australian Heritage since c. 1788.

It was part of the first hospital grounds, standing just south to the site, with the Assistant Surgeon’s residence occupied by Francis Greenway, the convict architect who had been transported for forging a building contract in 1814.

In 1861, for an unknown reason, the buildings at 95-99 George Street were vacated and the buildings demolished. The land remained vacant until c. 1867 when the present building was constructed.

They were occupied by 1868, with a butcher in No. 95 and a grocer in No. 99, and these buildings continued to be used for those businesses for the next 20 years. 99 George Street was continually used as a grocers and run by a number of tenants until the 1970s. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority undertook restoration and reconstruction works on the terrace of shops.

Since the late 1980’s, 99 George Street has been occupied by The Rocks Café, where it continues to thrive.

LOCATION

Of all the locations around Sydney Harbour, few have as fascinating a past as The Rocks, a small district near the heart of Sydney on the hillside above the western shore of Sydney Cove and Circular Quay. It is here that Sydney’s first permanent dwellings were built, a cluster of humble wattle and daub huts perched precariously amid the rocky inclines that gave the location its name.

LOCATION

Our Story - The Rocks Cafe
Our Story - The Rocks Cafe

The Rocks is Sydney’s authentic historic maritime village, the place where the early colonial settlers called home. Today The Rocks is a popular tourist precinct which retains much of the character and charm of its colourful past. It is populated with gift shops, cafes, markets, entertainment and heritage buildings.