Arrival of the First Fleet

Tour Details
  • Duration: 1.5 hours - 2 hours
  • Availability: Daily
  • Meeting Location: Rocks Square
  • Fitness Level: Basic, Moderate
  • Units: First Contacts
  • Key Learning Areas: Geography, History, HSIE
  • Program: Primary School
  • Student Outcomes: H2-1; H2-2; H2-3; H2-4; H2-5, GE2-1; GE2-2; GE2-3
  • Years: 3 and 4
  • Group Size: 30 students per group

The Story of British Colonisation in Sydney

Let the story of British Colonisation and its impacts on the Eora people unfold for young students. Our resources of A3 image help bring early Sydney to life together with the narrative skills of our guides.

Topics covered within the tour include:

  • First contact between the Eora and British
  • The Aboriginal way of life before and after colonisation
  • Significant people and events that fashioned the British penal colony
  • Relevant sites in the development of Sydney

Students have the opportunity to dress up as the governor or soldiers, convicts or free and given the real identity of a significant person for an instructive and interactive tour.

Additional details about the tour

Arrival of the First Fleet introduces students to the story of British colonisation at the very place it began—Sydney Cove.

Students learn who came on the First Fleet, why they came, and what life was like for convicts, marines and free settlers in the early colony. The tour also explores first contact between the British and the local Cadigal people, including Aboriginal life before and after colonisation.

Using historic images and the surrounding built environment, students examine early streets, buildings and transport routes to understand how Sydney developed as a penal settlement. Key sites such as Cadman’s Cottage help students visualise the challenges of early colonial life.

Optional dress-up experience: Schools may choose to include a costume component where students dress as historical colonial figures such as convicts, marines and free settlers who lived in The Rocks and contributed to the development of the settlement. Each student is provided with a character card featuring a real historical figure, outlining who they were, their role in the colony and their impact on early Sydney. This immersive experience encourages role-play, empathy and deeper engagement with early Australian history.

Tour Reviews

Our Stage 2 students thoroughly enjoyed the Rocks Walking Tour as part of their history studies. The excursion was both engaging and informative, giving students the chance to explore the story of British colonisation and its impact on the Eora people in a meaningful and age-appropriate way.
The use of A3 images, storytelling, and relevant historic sites helped bring early Sydney to life, while the opportunity for students to dress up as governors, soldiers, convicts, or free settlers made the experience interactive and fun. The guides were highly knowledgeable, kept the students engaged throughout, and skillfully connected significant people and events to the development of Sydney.
This tour supported our curriculum beautifully and provided our students with a deeper understanding of first contact, Aboriginal ways of life before and after colonisation, and the realities of the penal colony. We would highly recommend this experience to other schools looking for an interactive and well-structured excursion.

Nicole Stojanovski
Corpus Christi Primary School

A perfect excursion for our Stage 2 classes as they investigate Australian history and British colonisation. I highly recommend The Rocks Walking Tours; they are professional, flexible and organised; making planning an excursion easy. The tour guides were friendly and kept our students engaged. They also sent through helpful resources to look at prior to coming. Our students loved the costumes and character cards – it really helped them to connect to the content. Will definitely be booking with them again. Thank you so much!

Holly Caddy
Leppington Anglican College

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