The Observatory Hotel, which has won almost every prestigious Domestic
and International award, offers guests the Highest Standards in accommodation,
cuisine and service. In every detail the Hotel is designed to put guests at ease
and to offer a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere for both business and pleasure.
As a member of Orient-Express Hotels, The Observatory Hotel is the group's first
in the Pacific Rim area.
HistoryJust minutes from the CBD and Walsh Bay, The Observatory Hotel is
located in the historic heart of Sydney at Millers Point, The Rocks. Prior to
European settlement, this area was home to the Eora Aboriginal people who had
lived here for thousands of years. After the arrival of the first Europeans in
1788, the area grew from a campsite to a flourishing community and commercial
area. Different waves of settlers arrived including political prisoners exiled
after the Irish rebellion in 1790s. Along the waterfront extensive wharves and
warehouses developed to support the growth in trade and commerce.
The Rocks also became Australias first Chinatown following an influx of
Chinese settlers in mid 1860s but by the late 19th century The Rocks had become
run down, overcrowded and a meeting place for criminals and prostitutes. The
Government stepped in, buying up the whole area in a bid to clean it up. It
demolished uninhabitable places and built new workers cottages in a bid to
control the area. In the 1960s local residents, with the support of the Union
movement, were successful in their bid to prevent high-rise development. Since
then, The Rocks has been embraced as one of Australias most significant historic
areas, loved by locals and visitors alike. Historic architecture dominates
the peninsulas streetscape and the area still boasts many of its original
buildings. Today, the renovated warehouses, sailors homes, and former dens of
iniquity are home to a mix of Restaurants, curiosity Shops and Art Galleries.