Darling Harbour is a large recreational pedestrian precinct situated on the western edge of central Sydney, Australia. It extends northwards from Chinatown, along both sides of Cockle Bay to King Street Wharf on the east, and to the suburb of Pyrmont on the west.

The precinct and its immmediate surrounds are administered independently of the Sydney City Council, by a New South Wales state government statutory authority, the Darling Harbour Authority, and the area is home to a number of major public facilities and attractions including the Sydney Entertainment Centre, Paddy's Markets, Sydney's Chinese Gardens, Tumbalong Park, the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, the Australian National Maritime Museum (featuring museum ships including HMAS Vampire), Star City Casino, the Powerhouse Museum, the Sydney Aquarium, and a number of large international hotels. The Darling Harbour precinct is linked to places in the CBD by the Sydney Monorail.

History

Darling Harbour, named after Governor Darling, was originally part of the port of Sydney. By the mid-to-late 1980s it had become largely derelict and was controversially redeveloped as a pedestrian and tourist precinct as an initiative of then New South Wales Minister for Public Works, Laurie Brereton.

External link

• History of Darling Harbour (http://www.darlingharbour.com/content/dyncontent.cfm?pg=100367&div=100017&menuid=100433) from official website (http://www.darlingharbour.com).