The Rocks

Yesterday we got to tour "The Rocks," or the original part of Sydney.  When all of the convicts arrived 250 years ago the convicts were sent to live in the rocks (sandstone and actual rock that had to be carved out) and the upper crusts were sent to live on the other more flat side.  My favorite part of this tour was seeing the original rooms still in existence.  We were able to see a fireplace still in the side of a cliff and stairs in the middle of a rock wall.  There was even a site preserved to depict what the houses looked like.  Image foss hall dorm rooms one on top of the other.  That was your entire house for roughly 12 children and two parents.  Now add in the fact that there was no bathrooms and 20 families of that size shared a hole in the ground so that when it rained all the waste would flow down the rocks into your neighbors yards and under their floorboards.  While this tour had some unpleasant pictures in it overall it was very interesting to learn about the living conditions of the convicts, and all of their stories for why they ended up in Australia in the first place.  I wasn't aware the 7 year old could be convicted and sent to Australia as well, but 7 was considered the age of reasoning.  Not sure people would actually believe that today...