Imagine yourself in 1860s Sydney with self-guided walking tour

Of the Legislative Assembly: "...the stranger should by no means leave Sydney without visiting this House of Representatives and listening to the specimens of colonial eloquence which it nightly pours forth."

James Waugh, who wrote these words, was clearly an astute observer of 1860s Sydney - with maybe a hint of the futurologist.

He made the wry comments in The Stranger's Guide to Sydney, a series of walks he first published in 1861 in order that "those who have but a short time to spend in town, may have an opportunity of seeing as much of it as possible".

Now visitors can get a sense of that world through a phone app that retraces Waugh's steps, stopping at 34 historical sites between what is now Sydney Town Hall and Circular Quay.

"We thought an app would be a fantastic opportunity to re-envisage the city and show people what it was like," said City of Sydney historian Lisa Murray, a member of the team that revised the walk.

She said the "strangers" in the guide's title were Waugh's main intended market: the growing number of native-born Australians who lived outside the city, visited from time to time, but barely knew the place.

To help them, Waugh sold the guide for two-and-sixpence from his bookshop on George Street, cannily close to the wharves where so many arrived.

"With a large map of the city and a number of illustrations, it was a souvenir as well," Dr Murray said.

She said one of Waugh's aims was to give people a flavour of the city. But above all, he was keen to introduce visitors to the places where Sydney folk gathered.

These included the bustling George Street Markets on the site of today's Queen Victoria Building, with its florists, fruit and veges, pots and pans, second-hand clothes and beaut people-watching on a Saturday night.

Another was Hyde Park, which Waugh found "truly astonishing" for the number of youths playing "the healthy game of cricket" and spectators gathered to watch them.

At the same time, the publisher was keen to ease the way of newcomers and visitors, so the guides included the locations and hours of essential places like banks, government offices, churches and wharves.

Many are included in the app, with intriguing facts galore.

One important stop, Dr Murray said, is the site of the predecessor of the General Post Office, now a Singaporean-owned hotel.

It had a clock at a time when public timepieces were few and not everyone could afford a watch. Helpful as ever, Waugh made sure to note when the mails arrived: 9am, 1pm and 4pm.

Next to this was the electric telegraph office, where notices were put up daily, announcing sightings of ships off the Heads, weather warnings and more.

The Australian Subscription Library near the Domain was also significant. Established in 1826, it made literature available to all and paved the way for the libraries of today.

Dr Murray said some of the sites on the modern-day walk have the same occupant but are not the same building - a few of the commercial banks, for example.

Still, a goodly number remain intact, including St Andrew's Cathedral (unfinished when the guide was written), St James' Church and the General Registry Office.

Of course, some sites in the guide have changed beyond recognition since 1861. But thanks to the app, not too much imagination is required, as it includes watercolours, etchings and photos from the time giving a very clear idea of how things looked.

"That, combined with James Waugh's words, really gives a sense of what Sydney was like - a bustling Georgian town that was moving into the Victorian period and the built environment of today," Dr Murray said.

The Stranger's Guide is one of 17 self-guided Sydney Cultural Walks produced by the City of Sydney and available via Google Play or App Store. Others include Barani, which brings a new appreciation for Australia's untold roots on Gadigal land, and Colony, which steps into the shoes of soldiers, convicts and sailors.

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