The Bubonic Plague is a disease that swept across the world at different times in the past. It was spread by rats carrying fleas which caused the disease. The Bubonic Plague reached Sydney in January 1900. Spreading from the waterfront, the rats carried the plague throughout the city. Within eight months 303 cases were reported and 103 people died. A Sydney wharf worker called Arthur Payne was the first person to catch the plague. He had been removing rats from his toilet. A wave of panic followed. Large areas of the city, including The Rocks, went into quarantine, meaning people could not leave their area. Some sick people were taken to the Quarantine Station near Manly to seperate them. Rat catchers were paid to catch rats. Many old buildings in the Rocks were knocked down so the rats could not live and breed there. It took scientists some time to discover the cause of the plague.

Did you know? It’s reported that 44,000 rats were caught and burnt by rat catchers, and that they earnt up to six pence per rat, which was decent money at the time.

113 years after the First Fleet landed in Sydney Cove, The Rocks, and Sydney, had many houses and businesses. NSW was still a colony of England. Many people wanted the English colonies in Australia to join together to make one new country.

On 1st January 1901, NSW, joined Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia, to create one new country called The Commonwealth of Australia. Each colony changed into a State. This process was called Federation and it was a huge event around Australia including for the people of the Rocks.

More than 500,000 people, including many people from The Rocks, lined Macquarie Street to watch the Federation Procession which started at Circular Quay close to The Rocks.

The procession involved 10,000 people and close to 100 horse drawn floats representing different organisations and military troops from the British Empire, with the Governor General at the rear. The procession passed by temporary stands and through numerous decorative arches and gates along the way.

The procession marched to Centennial Park in Sydney where more than 60,000 people gathered to listen to the Governor General announce that all the separate English colonies were now joined together in the Commonwealth of Australia.

With the announcement of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, we needed a new flag to represent the new country of Australia.

• Design a new flag that represents the best things about our modern Australian community today. Use the flag blank here to design your new flag.

On the 26th of January 1988, many Australians celebrated the bicentenary (200 years) of the arrival of the 11 ships of the first fleet in Botany Bay and Sydney Cove on Gadigal Country. Many celebrations were planned across Australia to commemorate (remember) this historic event which marked the start of the colony of New South Wales, and the beginning of the nation of Australia. In Sydney, a reenactment (copy) of the first fleet was made as tall ships sailed into Sydney Harbour surrounded by thousands of small boats and spectators. Thousands of people packed The Rocks to get a good look at the events on the harbour like fireworks, ferry races and concerts.

"At the same time as the Bicentenary celebrations, more than 40,000 Aboriginal people and non-Indigenous supporters, staged what was at the time the largest march ever held in Sydney. There were busloads of Aboriginal people from other states and rural and remote communities who arrived to join the protest.

The protest was held because the colonisation of Australia which caused injustice, suffering and dispossession of Aboriginal people was being celebrated".

Source: Deadly Story Website. Find out more on the Deadly Story Website here.

Susannah Place is a group of four small joined houses, called terraces ,that were built in 1844. Many families have lived in Susannah Place since they were first built. The end (last) house also has a corner shop which is where most of the local Rocks community would have done their daily shopping. Because the houses were well built, they have lasted a long time and have not changed much both inside and out. Today Susannah Place is a museum where we can see how people used to live in the past. For example the house are very small and have a tiny backyard. In the past there was no running water or electricity, so people had to collect water from a street well and use it carefully. They also used candles, lamps and gaslight, before electricity was connected, One family who lived in Number 64, the house with the shop attached, were Hugo, and Clara Yougheins, who lived there and ran the shop between 1904 and 1930. Their children included Herbert, Jim and Dolly.

Did you know? Jim Yungheins was interviewed when he was an old man, and he told the museum owners what the shop looked like when he was a young boy living there.

In 1970, the NSW Government planned to knock down all the old buildings in The Rocks and build skyscrapers there instead. This plan was fought by the local community who lived there, who did not want their houses destroyed. They asked Jack Mundey to help them fight the Government. Jack was the leader of a builders union so he could tell all his builders not to work on the government's plan to destroy The Rocks. At the time, Jack was not following the government's plan so he was doing something illegal and was arrested. Jack won the fight and today we know that Jack had the right idea to save all the old building. He has been commemorated (remembered) by plaques, memorials and a place in The Rocks Named after him.