Sin and the City — Kings Cross vice & bohemia Walking History Tour

Elizabeth Bay Trip Overview

This History Tour has been curated by heritage professionals to uncover the notorious secrets, stories & scandals of Kings Cross — Sydney’s historic red-light strip.

Once a bourgeois neighbourhood boasting harbour-side mansions & Victorian villas, this bustling pocket of Sydney was transformed by bohemia, entertainment & modernist architecture during the roaring 1920’s Jazz Age. Amidst the sparkling lights of its inter-war years, The Cross also became riddled with backstreet bordellos, sly-grog stores, razor-wielding gangs, crime-lords (and ladies), murders, mysteries & martinis.

By the 1960s, the streets teamed with revellers visiting its red-light strip of neon fantasies, nightclubs & local eccentrics — dubbed in the media as ‘Sin City’. Crime and corruption continued as new heavyweights such as The Boss of The Cross took the reigns, and by 1975 the neighbourhood was embroiled in one of Sydney’s most scandalous cold-case murder mysteries.

Uncover this unique story in style!

Additional Info

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Starts: Elizabeth Bay, Australia
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours



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This History Tour has been curated by heritage professionals to uncover the notorious secrets, stories & scandals of Kings Cross — Sydney’s historic red-light strip.

Once a bourgeois neighbourhood boasting harbour-side mansions & Victorian villas, this bustling pocket of Sydney was transformed by bohemia, entertainment & modernist architecture during the roaring 1920’s Jazz Age. Amidst the sparkling lights of its inter-war years, The Cross also became riddled with backstreet bordellos, sly-grog stores, razor-wielding gangs, crime-lords (and ladies), murders, mysteries & martinis.

By the 1960s, the streets teamed with revellers visiting its red-light strip of neon fantasies, nightclubs & local eccentrics — dubbed in the media as ‘Sin City’. Crime and corruption continued as new heavyweights such as The Boss of The Cross took the reigns, and by 1975 the neighbourhood was embroiled in one of Sydney’s most scandalous cold-case murder mysteries.

Uncover this unique story in style!
Stop At: Kings Cross, Kings Cross, New South Wales

Your guide will uncover the ‘Golden Mile’ strip and back streets of Kings Cross — a former red light district and entertainment mecca lined with nightclubs, strip clubs, theatres, flashing bill boards and quirky Art Deco architecture.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Potts Point Sunday Markets, Macleay Street, Potts Point, Sydney, New South Wales 2011 Australia

Potts Point is the residential neighbourhood of Kings Cross, this tour will visit its eclectic mix of street markets and foodie alleys, Georgian Mansions, Victorian villas, Art deco apartments, Gothic convents, Harbour views, broad leafy avenues and artistic alley ways — while bringing to life the notorious tales of its historic residents and revellers.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes



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