A Day or More In Darling Harbour
View of Darling Harbour
Although the whole of Sydney has its share of great entertainment, there isn’t anywhere else quite like Darling Harbour if you’re looking for both day and evening attractions in a very convenient location. Darling Harbour is just outside Sydney’s Central Business District (CBD) and is easily accessible by train, monorail or light rail, or for those who prefer to use their feet it’s also within walking distance!
You’ll definitely want to spend at least a day in Darling Harbour, though you could easily spend more time. We found that there are actually a number of very good hotels in Darling Harbour, so you could even make this your base for exploring the whole of Sydney – it’s a good alternative to Sydney’s CBD hotels, for example.
So what are the ‘not to be missed’ attractions in Darling Harbour? Well, by day you should most definitely visit the Sydney Aquarium. This is a huge aquarium, and to really make the most of it you need to spend at least several hours. There are loads of things to see here with the focus being on the waters of Australia. Our favourite attractions included the Great Barrier Reef – the largest exhibit of its kind in the world! Plus you’ll be treated to penguin exhibits, seals, sharks and more!
Once you’ve found out what lives in the waters around Sydney why not enjoy a look at the city from the water?! Several of Sydney’s harbour cruise companies sail from Darling Harbour during both the day and night. In addition to the typical tourist harbour cruises you would expect, you can also make an evening of it on one of the Sydney Show Boats – a great idea for a slightly different evening’s entertainment!
Back on dry land, and right next door to Sydney Aquarium, is Sydney Wildlife World. Here you can see both the flora and fauna of Sydney within the multiple habitats. These include a popular koala sanctuary, butterflies, nocturnal creatures and a rainforest.
Other daytime attractions at Darling Harbour include a couple of museums – the Australian National Maritime Museum provides visitors with an interesting insight into Australia’s maritime history and the technology used through the years, whilst the Powerhouse Museum is a more general look at history, science, technology, space exploration and more.
Sydney’s IMAX Cinema is in Darling Harbour too. Like most of the IMAX cinemas around the world, this one shows a combination of both documentary feature films and popular box office blockbusters. If you’ve never seen a movie on an IMAX screen before, you should visit the IMAX at Darling Harbour as this is an experience not to be missed!
We thought Darling Harbour was popular during the day, but by night it becomes even more so, particularly on weekend evenings. There are many evening attractions at Darling Harbour – you can enjoy a great meal in one of the many restaurants, go dancing at a club, go gambling at Star City Casino or watch a live show at the Entertainment Centre.
“A Day or More In Darling Harbour” by Claire Bolgil
