The Rocks — Greenway's Cipher
Decipher Francis Greenway's hidden architectural code embedded in Sydney's oldest quarter. Uncover the convict architect's secret rebellion encoded in stone and mortar.
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
Francis Greenway arrived in Sydney in 1814 as a transported convict, yet within years became the colony's most influential architect
The Rocks — Greenway's Cipher
You are a young colonial archivist in 1825 Sydney, personally tasked by Governor Lachlan Macquarie to decipher the secret plans of his architect, Francis Greenway.
Your mission leads you through Sydney
Dive into 19th-century Sydney, following in the footsteps of Francis Greenway, the convict-architect whose buildings shaped the face of Australian colonial heritage.
The story that haunts this land
Your quest for Greenway's Cipher begins in front of St. James' Church, a Georgian edifice consecrated in 1824, Australia's first Catholic parish church. Designed by Francis Greenway, this church is a testament to his architectural genius, with its 53-meter high bell tower. Greenway, a convict architect pardoned by Lachlan Macquarie in 1817, left his indelible mark on Australian colonial heritage. The church's restoration in 1985, after a 1939 fire, preserved the essence of this foundational Sydney work.
A short walk away, the Hyde Park Barracks, built in 1819 by Francis Greenway on Governor Lachlan Macquarie's orders, reveal another facet of Sydney's history. This site, awaiting UNESCO inscription, housed 12,000 convicts until 1848 before being transformed into a dormitory for Irish immigrants from 1848 to 1886, then into judicial offices. The main building, covering 4,500 m², restored as a museum in 1990, is a key monument for understanding the role of convicts in the development of New South Wales.
The route then takes you to the Supreme Court of New South Wales, located on Queens Square, part of the Macquarie Street government complex. The current buildings, constructed between 1972 and 1979, replaced an original 1860 structure destroyed by fire in 1979. The main courtroom, 30 meters long, could accommodate 100 people. It was in the adjacent old courthouse that famous trials took place, including that of Ned Kelly in 1880, marking Sydney's judicial history.
Your exploration continues on Macquarie Street, a historic thoroughfare laid out in 1810 by Governor Lachlan Macquarie, which served as the colonial administrative center. This 1.2 km artery, from Hyde Park to Circular Quay, houses major edifices such as the Hyde Park Barracks (1819), The Mint (1855), and the State Library (1821). The Mint, opened in 1855 as a branch of the Royal Mint of London in the south wings of the Rum Hospital (1816), struck Australia's first coinage in 1855 and produced 15 million sovereigns before closing in 1926. This Sydney sandstone building, restored as a museum in 1977, offers exhibitions on colonial monetary history.
Your journey concludes in the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, founded in 1816 by Lachlan Macquarie, a 30-hectare space housing over 8,900 plant species. Among them, araucarias planted as early as the 1820s. At the heart of this garden, Mrs Macquarie's Chair, a bench carved into the rock in 1816 for Elizabeth Macquarie, offers views of Sydney Harbour and the Opera House. This iconic site, visited by 4 million people annually, is a free picnic spot accessible since 1816, and an ideal viewpoint to contemplate the city of Sydney and the work of its builders. You will have thus retraced the thematic circuit of New South Wales heritage, discovering the history of Sydney through its monuments.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
Want to go deeper?
Places tied to your adventure — optional entries, totally up to you · per person
The Route
8 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Decipher Architectural Plans
Every Greenway building holds a detail, a proportion, an anomaly that is a key to his secret message.
Admire the Colonial Heritage
From barracks to churches, explore the iconic monuments that transformed Sydney under Macquarie's rule.
In the Footsteps of Governor Macquarie
Understand the vision of the enlightened governor who believed in the potential of deportees to build a nation.
Reveal the Genius Beneath the Convict Uniform.
A life's blueprint.
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need to download an app?
No, never. You get a link, you click, it plays in your browser. That's the point of a PWA: same as an app, without the hassle.
Q02Does it work offline?
GPS yes (handled by your phone). Maps yes (tiles cached). AI and hints need an intermittent 4G connection.
Q03How long does a game take?
1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on your pace. The timer runs but only for the leaderboard — you play at your own tempo.
Q04What happens if I'm stuck?
You get 3 levels of hints per puzzle (increasing penalty). If truly stuck, you can skip the step (45-min penalty but you keep going).
Q05What's the age range?
From 12 without an adult, from 6 with an adult reading puzzles. Works for families, couples, friend groups, companies.
Q06What if my city isn't in the catalogue?
Pre-register or contact us — we'll email you as soon as your city is live.
Q07What is augmented reality exactly?
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language. At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's your answer. After each puzzle solved, a treasure chest floats in front of you. Seeing is believing.
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Your turn to play
Dive into 19th-century Sydney, following in the footsteps of Francis Greenway, the convict-architect whose buildings shaped the face of Australian colonial heritage.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+24 TripCoins granted with your booking
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