Heritage & History


Darling Harbour – History and Heritage

Discover the history of Darling Harbour.Darling Harbour is one of the world’s leading waterfront leisure and entertainment destinations.  Its journey from “derelict docklands to sparkling international playground” has been described as “a miracle of inner urban rebirth”. Over the past ten years the precinct has won numerous construction industry and tourism awards.

A history of Sydney and the development of NSW would be incomplete without knowledge of Darling Harbour and its fascinating background. Below is an overview of its history and development. For a more detailed history of the area, visit: Pre 1788; The Convict Town to Port City 1788-1900; and The Development of Darling Harbour.

The Name
Key Stages of Development
Darling Harbour Today
Did You Know? 

The Name

  • Until the arrival of Europeans the Cadigal people, the original inhabitants of the area around Sydney Cove, called Darling Harbour Tumbalong (place where seafood is found).
  • When Sydney was founded in 1788, the bay was called Long Cove because of its unusual length.
  • The large shell middens left by generations of Cadigal people in the area soon saw the name Cockle Bay come into everyday use.
  • In 1826 the bay was again renamed – this time becoming Darling Harbour in honour of Governor Ralph Darling - Sydney’s Governor at the time.   

Development

  • Commissioned by Governor Macquarie in 1812, Darling Harbour developed from a bustling market wharf to what became a major industrial and goods-handling precinct. 
  • An immigration scheme saw many of Australia’s post-war refugees and immigrants set foot on Australian soil at Darling Harbour. 
  • By the mid 1970s Darling Harbour is a series of empty warehouses and rarely used train tracks, with only the odd vessel using its wharfs. Its magnificent waterfront address, adjacent to the city, was ripe for redevelopment. 
  • In 1984, the NSW State Government under Labor Premier Neville Wran, announced the redevelopment of the area and a decision to “return it to the people of Sydney after 150 years of industrial use”. 
  • Darling Harbour re-opened in 1988, during Australia's Bicentennial Celebrations. 
  • 10th anniversary celebrations took place in 1998 with the precinct winning numerous construction and tourism industry awards throughout its first ten years. 
  • More than $1.5 billion worth of private and public investment funds combined to prepare Darling Harbour for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, ensuring it remains a premium waterfront destination into the future.

Darling Harbour today

  • Darling Harbour stretches from Paddy’s Markets and Sydney Entertainment Centre in the south to King Street Wharf and the Maritime Museum in the north.
  • Home to the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney Aquarium, IMAX Theatre, Sydney Wildlife World and Powerhouse Museum, it offers some of the finest museums and attractions in Australia. 
  • Darling Harbour hosts a year long calendar of outdoor events including New Year’s Eve, Australia Day celebrations in January, Hoopla Acrobatics and Street Theatre Festival in April, Darling Harbour Jazz Festival in June, Winter Concert Series in July and Fiesta in October.
  • The International Boat Show, Sydney Home Ideas and Lifestyle Show, Sydney's 4x4 and Fishing Show, DesignX and Sydney Garden Show have become regular exhibitions held in Darling Harbour every year. 
  • The precinct offers a diverse selection of Australian and international cuisine from fine dining to cheap eats and positioned along the spectacular waterfront promenades of Harbourside, Cockle Bay Wharf and King Street Wharf. 
  • Cockle Bay Marina has facilities for up to 52 vessels, with a maximum length of 15 metres per berth available. Visitors can moor at Cockle Bay for up to three days at a time. 
  • Darling Harbour offers accommodation to suit every taste, from spacious self-contained apartments to luxury hotel suites, most with wonderful views of the water and city skyline. 
  • Darling Harbour is home to the Chinese Garden of Friendship – a haven of peace and tranquillity in the heart of Sydney.

Did you know

  • The Pyrmont Bridge, linking Darling Harbour to the city, is the oldest electrically operated swing-span bridge in the world. Pyrmont Bridge celebrated its 100th anniversary on 28 June 2002. 
  • The Corn Exchange and Darling Harbour’s Carousel are listed on the State Heritage Register of New South Wales. 
  • Almost 150 million people have visited Darling Harbour since 1988. Over 16 million visits occurred during 2000. Sydneysiders make up 31 per cent of people regularly coming to Darling Harbour, visiting an average of 2 times per month. (Source: McGregor Tan Exit Survey Mar 02 – Feb 03.) 
  • Unique visitors to Darling Harbour (visitors who are not on a repeat visit) consists of approximately 54 per cent overseas, 9 per cent Australians living outside NSW, 5 per cent NSW and 31 per cent Sydneysiders. (Source: McGregor Tan Exit Survey Mar 02 – Feb 03.) 
  • More than 4,000 people are employed at Darling Harbour. Places of employment include hotels, restaurants, attractions, museums, commercial offices, gardens, the convention and exhibition centres as well as security staff and cleaners. 
  • Darling Harbour has in excess of 2,888 hotel rooms and 3,341 serviced apartments. They range from the 5-star Four Points by Sheraton (the largest hotel in Sydney with 649 rooms), the Accor Novotel (527 rooms) to the smaller Southern Cross (53 rooms). They include serviced apartments such as the Grand Mercure Apartments (120 rooms) and Goldsbrough Apartments (80 rooms). (Source: SHFA 2002 telephone survey of all hotels and serviced apartments in Darling Harbour.) 
  • Average occupancy rates are higher than other hotels in the city with an occupancy rate of 76.6% in 2001. (Source: Four Points, Novotel, Ibis – please note figure was affected by Sep 11 and Ansett Collapse.) 
  • There are more than 43 restaurants and 29 cafes (total of 9,388 seats), 12 bars, 5,676 parking spaces. (Source: SHFA 2002 Telephone Survey of DH stakeholders.) 
  • Eight significant works of sculpture from prominent Australian artists are displayed throughout Darling Harbour. The artworks were commissioned during Darling Harbour’s reconstruction in the 1980s. 
  • More than a dozen paintings hang in the Sydney Convention Centre with the best-known, Brett Whitley's 'Sydney Harbour' hanging in the Tumbalong Foyer. 
  • An average of 13 million people visited Darling Harbour in 2002. This figure is expected to be higher in 2003 as electronic people counters have been installed. (Source: 7 main attractions in Darling Harbour.) 
  • Parklands at Darling Harbour include the Chinese Garden of Friendship, Palm Grove, Pyrmont Bay Park, The Garden at Darling Park and Tumbalong Park. More than 8,000 plants – mostly petunias and yellow cone-flowers - were used to create the Australia Day Flag design, which featured in the parklands in 2003.
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