Starting in the late 18th century, The Rocks was a slum neighborhood overlooking Sydney Cove. The community was beleaguered by poverty, gangs, prostitution and the bubonic plague. At the turn of the 20th century, the area was seized by the government. They condemned and tore down thousands of buildings until the early 1970s. Among the surviving structures is A. S. N. Warehouse, headquarters of the former Australasian Steam Navigation Company. Its conversion into an art gallery is now typical of the area. Among the precinct’s tourist attractions are shops, markets, restaurants and bars including two of Sydney’s oldest taverns.
