Free Walking Tour in Sydney – Getting to know the city with local guides!

Until a few months ago I didn't care much about walking tours. In fact, I don't think I've ever looked for one in any city I've visited before this year. I saw many of my colleagues making posts about the subject, but I always thought 'ah...meh'.

Until, on this last trip, I went to a cafe in a slightly more remote part of Sydney (for me), and accidentally bumped into Hyde Park. The park is so big that it has its own historic cathedral, and, from what I could see, its colorful landscape serves as a backdrop for visitors who want to sunbathe on the grass and enjoy the day.

And I wouldn't have even known this place existed if I hadn't walked a little further.

And that's when I decided to look for some walking tour in the city and give this type of tour a try. And my only regret was not have done this before.

Free Walking Tour in Sydney

By doing a quick Google I discovered the I'm Free Tours, with free walking tour in Sydney and Melbourne. It seemed like a great option, especially because they come together every day, including weekends, at 10:30 am and 14:30 pm.

I decided to do the tour on a Sunday, since the ferry It's cheaper and I was staying in Manly. As the meeting point is at the Town Hall, close to St Andrew's Cathedral, I took a bus from Circular Quay and got there about 10 minutes before the tour started.

I introduced myself to the guides, who were wearing green shirts with the words “I'm free, follow me!”, and received a map with our itinerary, which would last around two and a half to three hours. In addition to the tourist attractions we would pass, tips were also included with the best restaurants and tours in the city, as well as curiosities.

As the tour was full (I believe because it was a weekend), we were separated into two groups, each led by a guide. The person responsible for us was called Ramsey, he has lived in Sydney his entire life and says he is passionate about the city, which is why he loves introducing it to tourists.

He explained to us that the tour is free so that everyone can participate, but that we could give tips at the end, putting our own price on the tour.

Visited Points

We start at home Town Hall, which before being one of Sydney's best-known buildings, was a cemetery in the middle of the center. As the graves were not very deep, the place had a horrible flood, and with the insistence of several residents, it was removed and recreated in another area. Ramsey told us that, even today, when work needs to be done in the surrounding area, bodies from that time are still found! Currently, the building serves as both a town hall and a venue for shows and exhibitions.

I confess that I don't remember the exact order we followed (not a good blogger, sorry!), but we went through Queen Victoria Building which, shortly after being built, was renovated for 100 years before opening to the public. The building has served as city hall, a concert hall, a bookstore, and today it encompasses a conglomerate of shops and cafes. The architecture is incredible and don't forget to look up when walking there!

I believe that from there we go to Hyde Park and St. Mary's Cathedral, yes, the places that gave rise to the story of the post! As walking tour free in Sydney I discovered that the church caught fire and needed to be redone, and in 2008 it was even visited by the Pope at the time.

We then passed two points that I found unusual: the first jail and the first hospital in the city.

For those who don't know a little about Australia's history, the English only sent criminals to live in the country, a kind of exile. They could walk freely, and for a long time this scheme worked. Until, with the growth of the population, the wave of violence became frequent at night, and a jail was built to keep all offenders arrested, but only at night. Today this prison works is known as Hyde Park Barracks, and houses a museum that can be visited by anyone who wishes.

Already Sydney Hospital It was built in 1815 with the help of rum companies, who gained a total monopoly on the sale of the drink by sponsoring the project. The governor at the time tried to obtain funds from the British government, but, as they had no interest in developing Australian lands, the request for money was denied. At first, the construction was so poorly done that some wings collapsed and went through some processes to be built again, but it was only in the 80s that the entire hospital underwent a good renovation. It is still used today!

From there, we visited one of my favorite spots: the Forgotten Songs. It's a street full of hanging cages, which play the sounds of the birds that lived in the central area of ​​Sydney. With the development of the city, many of these birds are now extinct. The songs change throughout the day, to match the species that sang during the day, afternoon and night.

Almost at the end of the tour, we went to the The Rocks, historic neighborhood in the region. Ramsey explained to us that the city council's idea was to demolish all the old buildings in the area and build more modern housing, to match the rest of Sydney. After tearing down some buildings and facing huge criticism and movements against the “renovation”, the government gave up and just restored the remaining places. Today this is one of the most touristy parts of the city, with the famous restaurant Pancake on the Rocks, open 24 hours, and a street market which occupies several streets on weekends.

And finally, the last stop on the walking tour free ride around Sydney was the ship observation deck, where we came across an incredible view of the Sydney Opera House. We heard the story about the “No War” graffiti that cost over $100.000 to clean from the tiles and was billed directly to the offenders, and how the project architect never came to visit after completion. Sad is not it?

This was my first experience with a walking tour free in Sydney! Even though it was tiring because it lasted almost three hours, I loved getting to know places that I passed by every day, but that I had no idea were there and what their stories were.

Most of the curiosities I wrote here I checked on the internet (kiss Wikipedia), but some I'm just going through with confidence in the guide, since I couldn't find sources. Please note that they may not be 100% correct hahaha.

And you, have you ever participated in a walking tour? Where? Tell me your experiences!