Hero of Waterloo

Top choice in Circular Quay & The Rocks


Enter this rough-hewn 1843 sandstone pub to meet some locals, chat to the Irish bar staff and grab an earful of the swing, folk and Celtic bands (Friday to Sunday). Downstairs is a dungeon where, in days gone by, drinkers would sleep off a heavy night before being shanghaied to the high seas via a tunnel leading to the harbour.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Circular Quay & The Rocks attractions

1. Garrison Church

0.05 MILES

Also known as Holy Trinity (1843), this pretty sandstone Anglican church at the western end of the Argyle Cut was the colony’s first military church…

2. Argyle Place

0.09 MILES

A quiet, English-style village green lined with terraced houses, Argyle Place offers the sacred appeal of Garrison Church and the more secular delights of…

3. Walsh Bay

0.09 MILES

This section of Dawes Point waterfront was Sydney’s busiest before the advent of container shipping and the construction of port facilities at Botany Bay…

4. Argyle Cut

0.1 MILES

Convict labourers excavated this canyon-like section of road clear through the sandstone ridge that gave the Rocks its name. The work began in 1843 with…

5. Observatory Hill

0.12 MILES

Lording it over the Rocks, but strangely tucked away, Observatory Hill is great for a picnic. Studded with huge Moreton Bay fig trees, the grassy hilltop…

6. Foundation Park

0.13 MILES

Thought-provoking Foundation Park is set among the preserved ruins of 1870s houses, built against the cliff face. The oversized furniture by artist Peter…

7. Sydney Observatory

0.15 MILES

Built in the 1850s, Sydney’s copper-domed, Italianate sandstone observatory squats atop Observatory Hill, overlooking the harbour. Inside is an intriguing…

8. Rocks Discovery Museum

0.18 MILES

Divided into four displays – Warrane (pre-1788), Colony (1788–1820), Port (1820–1900) and Transformations (1900 to the present) – this small, excellent…