The historic locality of Millers Point occupies a peninsula of Port Jackson's southern shoreline. It was this sheltered yet rocky outcrop that Captain Arthur Phillip chose as the site of the first European colony, when he led the First Fleet into these unchartered waters in 1788. As those unfortunate convicts were soon to discover, the peninsula consisted of sandstone, and the fledging colonial camp acquired the identity of The Rocks. The district of Millers Point was originally known as Cockle Bay Point, but soon became more generally known as 'Jack the Millers Point'. John Leighton, after whom the area was named, arrived as a convict in 1804. He was not emancipated until 1815, by which time he had acquired several acres of land in Cockle Bay Point. Exactly when he began his milling operations, however, remains uncertain. By the 1820s, there were three wooden post mills on Millers Point - all apparently run by Jack the Miller.

As lime, for building purposes, was in short supply, the abundant shellfish at Cockle Bay Point were burnt at kilns situated on Darling Harbour. The rocky nature of the terrain around Millers Point also caused an inconvenience to landowners. By the time of Leighton's death, Millers Point was still relatively undeveloped. However, the expanding residential, maritime and commercial activity in the Rocks moved to include Millers Point. By the 1830s, the area was concerned in the commercial and maritime ventures.

One of the earliest landowners of Millers Point was William Walker, who built the first wharf in the Walsh Bay in the 1820s. His mercantile career was typical of many of the early traders who helped build Millers Point. In the 1830s and 1840s, the boom in coastal shipping, the increase in colonial involvement in the whaling trade and the consignments of wool to London brought a vigorous phase in wharf building to Millers Point.

The first European structures erected upon this point were crude shelters for temporary accommodation. These ranged from bark huts and tents, to the prefabricated hospital which arrived with the second fleet. Yet some of these original shelters turned out to be more permanent than originally anticipated. The rather inadequate temporary hospital was not demolished until 1816. This crucial facility of the infant colony is remembered in The Rocks areas of Nurses Walk, Surgeons Court and Hospital Precinct.

The simple yet sturdy Georgian structure of Cadman's Cottage survives as the city of Sydney's oldest house. The cottage dates from 1816 and was built to house the crew of the Governor's vessels. The cottage bears the name of John Cadman, an emancipated convict who worked his way into the position of chief superintendent of the Governor's boats. Cadman resided in this cottage for 19 years from 1827. The oldest terrace house in Sydney stands in Kent Street, Millers Point. Known as the Ark, these two attached terraces where built by Thomas Glover prior to 1820.

At the time of the Ark's construction, the Shipwright in Arms Hotel was trading in Windmill Street. Unfortunately it has long since been demolished, and the Lord Nelson Hotel is credited as the oldest surviving hotel in Sydney. Originally built as a residence in 1834, the Lord Nelson has been trading since 1842. Nearby in Lower Fort Street stands the Hero of Waterloo Hotel, erected by George Payten and trading since 1845.

Not all who frequented The Rocks in its early years would hold fond memories of its various watering holes. In 1843 it was decided to join Millers Point with Sydney Cove by way of a tunnel. For years convict chain gains hacked their way through the merciless sandstone of the Argyle Cut, their mallet marks leaving an indelible and piteous reminder of human cruelty. When transportation was finally suspended, the torturous Argyle Cut remained unfinished. Private labourers found the help of explosives necessary to complete the Cut.

In 1806 Fort Phillip was erected upon the same hill as Jack Leighton windmill. A wall from this signal station survives as the earliest structure on the hill. As the highest point of the colony, this hill was the natural choice for the site of an observatory. Construction commenced upon Observatory Hill in 1858. This historic sandstone building continues to accommodate the city's official observatory. In the grounds neighbouring the observatory is the Military Hospital which dates from 1815. In 1849 the hospital was transformed into the Fort Street High School. In 1916, due to growing enrolments, Fort Street moved to its present Petersham address where it continues a tradition of academic excellence. The hospital now appropriately accommodates the National Trust Centre and the S.H. Ervin Gallery.

A second Millers Point hill was chosen by the colonial authorities for a rather unsavoury public service. A small park in Essex Street marks the site of the public gallows. Hangman's Hill commenced its notorious occupation from colonisation until 1804 when it was removed to the corner of Castlereagh and Park Streets. In 1820 it was returned to Essex Street where it remained until the completion of the Darlinghurst Gaol in 1841. In the late eighteenth century, executions were indeed meant to be public. To capitalise upon this horrific spectacle, The Golden Cob in Essex Street, installed a viewing window.

Today the gentrified terraces of Millers Point belie the region's harsh and often inhumane European history. While admiring the array of preserved Georgian, Regency, Colonial, Victorian and Federation facades, it is easy to forget the reality of life in this traditionally working class area. Millers Point residents have had to accommodate the brutalised convicts and drunken sailors of the early nineteenth century, to the taunts of gangs at the century's close. Many workers cottages and crude terraces were demolished during slum clearing efforts at the turn of the century, when The Rocks was hit by the bubonic plague. Entire streets of families and history were lost to the Bradfield Highway during construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The disruptive tradition of The Rocks continues as locals and tourists alike fill the area through the early hours weekends.

Since 1967, the State Government appointed Sydney Cove Authority have managed the vast cultural heritage of The Rocks. Several waves of redevelopment have hit Sydney, though none have yet reached Millers Point. Today, the area is protected by the Sydney Heritage Inventory, isolating it as an 'heritage precinct', and by the Department of Planning, commissioning a conversation study. The Rocks Visitors Centre, in the former Coroners Court at 104 George Street, is the official information centre, offering history, walking tours and souvenirs.

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