Development of Darling Harbour


The rise of road and rail transport networks throughout the 20th century resulted in Darling Harbour sliding slowly into disrepair. By the mid 1970s it was run down and largely derelict. In 1984 the last goods train left Darling Harbour to the tune of NSW Transport Workers Union Band playing the funeral march.

It is at this time the Premier of the day, the Hon. Neville Wran, announced the Government’s decision to redevelop Darling Harbour after 150 years of industrial use and “return it to the people of Sydney” in time for the 1988 Bicentennial celebrations.

Within a year most of the area was demolished and a team of architects, designers and consultants worked on a program to create a modern entertainment and visitor hub for all Sydneysiders and visitors to Sydney. The first building to get underway was the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.

On 4 May 1988, Queen Elizabeth II formally opened Darling Harbour. Sydney Aquarium was the first attraction to open and was soon followed by a host of museums, shops, restaurants, hotels and bars, as the precinct became a different kind of heartbeat for Sydney.

In 1998 as Darling Harbour celebrated its 10th birthday, Cockle Bay Wharf was constructed. The following year massive works were undertaken in preparation for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and to ensure the area remained a premium waterfront entertainment area into the new millennium.

In 2000, Darling Harbour hosted five Olympic sports – boxing, judo, wrestling and weightlifting in the Exhibition Halls, and volleyball in the Entertainment Centre. This was also the year that King Street Wharf was also completed.

In 2003, the precinct was home to thousands of international visitors who had come to Sydney for the Rugby World Cup.

Today, Darling Harbour is widely regarded as Sydneysiders favourite leisure destination.

Sydney Harbour Forshore Authority Brand logos divider icon The Rocks.Com Brand logos divider icon Darling Harbour.Com