Darling Harbour is a harbour and neighborhood adjacent to the city centre ofSydney,New South Wales, Australia, that is made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of theSydney central business district.
Originally named Long Cove, the locality extends northwards fromChinatown, along both sides ofCockle Bay toKing Street Wharf on the east, and to the suburb ofPyrmont on the west. Cockle Bay is just one of the waterways that makes up Darling Harbour, which opens north into the much largerPort Jackson.
The precinct and its immediate surroundings are administered independently of thelocal government area of theCity of Sydney, by Property NSW.
The original name of the land now known as Darling Harbour is Tambalong, in Dharag language.
Darling Harbour is named afterLieutenant-General Ralph Darling, who wasGovernor of New South Wales from 1825 to 1831. The area was originally known as Long Cove, but was generally referred to as Cockle Bay until 1826 when Governor Darling renamed it after himself. The name Cockle Bay has recently been restored in reference to the headwaters of the harbour.[1] It was originally part of the commercial port of Sydney, including theDarling Harbour Railway Goods Yard. During theGreat Depression, the eastern part of Darling Harbour (Barangaroo) became known asThe Hungry Mile, a reference to the waterside workers searching for jobs along the wharves.[2]
Much of the land had been the site of the NSW Railways central marshalling yards and freight consolidation centre. The Enquiry into the NSW industry, including rail/road competition (1978–80), under CommissionerGavan McDonell,[3] found that this centre was inefficient, should be moved, and the land used for other public purposes. These recommendations were acted upon and by the mid-to-late 1980s, when the area had become largely derelict it was redeveloped as a pedestrian and tourist precinct as an initiative of then New South Wales Minister for Public Works,Laurie Brereton. TheSydney Convention & Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour was a venue of the2000 Summer Olympic Games and a key meeting venue ofAPEC Australia 2007.
On 26 January 1994,Charles III then Prince of Wales, was giving a speech during the Australia Day celebrations.David Kang ran at the Prince whilst firing two blanks before falling onto the ground and being promptly held and arrested. The Prince was unhurt and was ushered off the podium.[4]
Darling Harbour has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
The Darling Harbour precinct is home to a number of major public facilities and attractions, including:[6]
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Darling Harbour is accessible via various modes of public transport. The precinct is served by theInner West Light Rail ofSydney's light rail network, with access via Paddy's Markets, Convention, Exhibition and Pyrmont Bay stations.[9] Ferry wharves includingBarangaroo andPyrmont Bay provide access to thePyrmont Bay ferry services toCircular Quay and other suburbs while the Barangaroo wharf also provides access to theParramatta River ferry services.King Street Wharf is accessible by private boat charters.[10]The Goods Line is a park and pedestrian pathway connecting Darling Harbour toRailway Square andCentral station. The nearest train station isTown Hall.
Darling Harbour will be served byPyrmont as a future rapid transit station that will be built as part of theSydney Metro West project.[11]
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East Darling Harbour has been part of a largeurban renewal development. Plans for the 18-hectare (44-acre) site include half business and residential developments, while the other half to be reserved for open public space. The state government of NSW declared plans for "Globe Street", a street designed to become Australia's and Asia Pacific's centre for corporate trade (styled onNew York'sWall Street district). The urban renewal development was expected to be completed by 2020. East Darling Harbour is now known as a part of theBarangaroo precinct.
At the south end of Cockle Bay, theSydney Convention & Exhibition Centre site was replaced by the newInternational Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), opened in December 2016. The new site includes a 40,000-square-metre (430,000 sq ft) exhibition facility. Other new facilities within the Darling Harbour region include the ICC Theatre, an 8,000 seat mixed purpose venue for concerts and intimate shows, replacing theSydney Entertainment Centre, a gallery, and a 25 story multi purpose venue calledThe Ribbon (replacing theIMAX Theatre, which was closed and demolished in late 2016), opened on 11 October 2023 with an updated theatre.[12][13][14]
This area was the site of the Sydney Port Authority and featured an Overseas Passenger Terminal (Wharf 8) which was mainly used by thePacific Dawn of theP&O Cruises Australia fleet and theSun Princess, operated byPrincess Cruises.[citation needed] The passenger terminal is now inWhite Bay on the site of a former container terminal.[15][16][17]
On the west side of Cockle Bay, theHarbourside Shopping Centre, built in 1988, was demolished in 2023, and a new Harbourside Residences project is under construction in 2024/2025.
Darling Harbour is the location of the season residence on MTV's reality TV show,The Real World: Sydney, which aired in late 2007. The house has a large "Darling Harbour" sign along its edge, and the World Tower high rise building can be seen behind it.[18][19]
20th Century Fox's 1995 filmMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie was shot in Sydney, and featured some scenes filmed in Darling Harbour.[citation needed]
Seven's Saturday morning TV Music ShowEclipse Music TV is filmed weekly at the precinct's shopping centre, Harbourside.[20]
On 27 August 2010, the soap operaNeighbours filmed scenes in the harbour and on board the cruise ship,Pacific Jewel.[21]
Canadianpost-hardcore bandSilverstein recorded a song entitled "Darling Harbour" on theirTransitions EP.
Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) underCC BY 4.0licence.
33°52′20″S151°11′56″E / 33.87230°S 151.19896°E /-33.87230; 151.19896