Darling Harbour is a popular entertainment district located close to the Central Business District in Sydney, Australia. The waterfront district is home to a number of the city’s hotspots that are popular with both locals and tourists and they are all easily walkable.
The harbor itself is beautiful and is a nice place for walking around and enjoying a beautiful day in Sydney. The harbor is lined with high-rise buildings, boat docks, an abundance of shops for shopping and restaurants with nice harbor views.
Getting to Darling Harbour is an easy walk from the CBD but it is also a short ferry ride from Circular Quay and the ferry terminal is in a nice location that make getting to the harbor attractions a shorter walk than going from the CBD.
Crossing over Darling Harbour is made easy by taking a scenic route across the Pyrmont (pedestrian) Bridge. The current bridge is one of the world’s oldest surviving electrically operated swing bridges. It was built in 1902 and the swingspan allows access for vessels that are too tall to travel under the bridge.
Top Attractions in Darling Harbour
The Harbourside Shopping Centre is a nice location for shopping, dining and leisure activities all rolled up in one on the edge of the water with stunning views of the Sydney Skyline. The shopping center has retail stores, souvenir shops, an indoor bowling alley and the Darling Harbour Farris Wheel sits between the shopping center and the harbor waters.
Next to the Harbourside Shopping Centre is the largest film screen in the world at the LG IMAX Theatre Sydney. If you are a movie junkie then there is no better place to see the latest action movie!
An unusual site for an urban harbor is a 25 meter (80 feet) tall lighthouse. The lighthouse was originally built in 1874 and was located on Cape Bowling Green. It was moved in 1995 to its current location in Darling Harbour for display at the Australian National Maritime Museum.
A second unusual site in the harbor that is also located near the Australian National Maritime Museum is a replica of James Cook’s ship the HMB Endeavour. The tall ship is one of the world’s most accurate maritime replica vessels and it is moored right beside the museum and on the same dock as the lighthouse.
Other attractions at Darling Harbour include Sea Life Sydney Aquarium, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and the Chinese Garden of Friendship in neighboring Chinatown.
The Dust on My Shoes
Sydney is a beautiful city and it is one of my favorite places to travel. I have been to Sydney four times and each time I have spent part of a day at Darling Harbour. Darling Harbour is pretty, it is easy to get to and there is something to do any time of day or night.
I like to take the ferry to Darling Harbour because it is a scenic trip that allows me to relax and enjoy the ride as opposed to walking the streets of Sydney.
Some of the attractions are fun to see but I like to go just to have breakfast, lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants along the wharf and enjoy a nice meal with a wonderful view.
The early evening is my favorite time to visit Darling Harbour because there is more entertainment. Taking in a movie with the giant screen at the IMAX is fun if the movie is something that interests me, there are usually various street performances and on Saturday nights there is a fireworks show.
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