Locational factors

The Sydney Harbour YHA is located at 110 Cumberland Street, The Rocks NSW 2000.

The hostel:

• is in close proximity to tourist icons such as the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay, Botanic Gardens, Sydney CBD, local museums and Darling Harbour. It is also close to the Circular Quay ferry and cruise boat terminal, and is well connected to public transport options with train, bus, tram and ferries available.

• Has views across Sydney Harbour, which can be enjoyed from the rooftop terrace and some bedrooms.

• Is within the historic The Rocks Precinct, with cultural attractions like historic laneways, Susannah Place Museum, The Rocks Discovery Museum, Rocks Walking Tours, The Rocks Weekend Markets and annual festivals such as the Vivid light festival and Aroma Coffee festival.

• Is the only budget accommodation in The Rocks. The Rocks Precinct has traditionally been known within the industry as the "Golden Triangle" referring to the abundance of 5-star high end accommodation provided in the area. The YHA is currently the only budget alternative in the precinct.

• The hostel was designed to conform to strict building regulations which impact on any development in the historic 'The Rocks' precinct. For example, the approved building envelope (or footprint) allowed for a maximum height of three storeys only, so as to be sympathetic with the surrounding historic buildings. As well, the YHA, along with any new building in The Rocks has to conform to a strict palette of colours which are sympathetic to the surrounding heritage features and historic buildings. 'Property NSW' is the government agency which acts like a local council and regulates all new buildings and renovations in 'The Rocks' through its development approval processes.

Early history of the site

Find out more about the early history of the site

View The Cumberland St Archaeological Site information in the The Dirt on The Rocks website for more information and images of the site prior to the construction of the Sydney Harbour YHA.

Recent history before the Hostel was built

Throughout the 1900s the site was mainly used for light industry, and bus and car parking. In 1994 the NSW government, via the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (a government department that owned the site and managed The Rocks), decided to re-develop it. In 1994, an extensive archaeological excavation began, which became known as The Big Dig . The archaeological excavations uncovered the remains of over 40 dwellings and over 750,000 artefacts.

Around 1994, the NSW Government invited development proposals from interested organisations and the YHA NSW Ltd proposal was the most successful. Key features of their proposal, which helped them win the right to develop the site were:

• the provision of low cost accommodation in an otherwise expensive area of the city

• the proposal to provide access, conservation and interpretation of the important archaeological heritage of the site.

• the environmentally sustainable design of the proposed hostel.

The unique and fragile nature of the site meant that the building had to be carefully designed and built, to minimise the impact on the archaeological remains on site.

The Hostel was opened in November 2009.