Pyrmont is a Sidney suburb located on a peninsula and connected to the city by two bridges: Pyrmont Bridge and ANZAC Bridge. Once it was an important component of the industrial life of Sydney, but today this picturesque place is one of the most popular areas for tourists due to its numerous landmarks, which are listed on the Register of the National Estate. Take the following tour to discover the most popular and prominent attractions in Pyrmont, Sydney.
1) Pyrmont Bridge
Pyrmont Bridge is one of the largest swing bridges in the world, located in Darling Harbour, and is a National Engineering Landmark of Australia. It was built in 1902 and it was one of the first to be powered by electricity. Now a pedestrian bridge with an elevated monorail, the Pyrmont Bridge has the Australian National Maritime Museum at one end and the Sydney Aquarium at the other.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Greg O'Beirne
2) Australian National Maritime Museum
Nestled on the west shore of Darling Harbour, the Australian National Maritime Museum opened its doors in 1991. The museum’s collection comprises more than 40,000 objects including: HMAS “Vampire”, Ken Warby's boat “Spirit of Australia”, a magnificent full-scale reproduction of Captain Cook's famous ship, and various military ships that were transferred to the museum after decommission. There is a permanent exhibition, some of which you can board and explore, that will help you to discover the history of this wild and beautiful continent.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Saberwyn
3) Union Square
Union Square is a closed part of Union Street in Sydney between Paternoster Row and Harris Street. It is now a heritage precinct and many buildings in and around the square are listed on the Register of the National Estate, a directory of monuments of cultural importance in Australia.
Union Square was created when Union Street in Pyrmont was closed in 1998. Important buildings located here are the Post Office of Harris Street, the Harlequin Inn Pub, two bank buildings on Union Street, some buildings on Harris Street, the terrace from Harris Street, the terraces of Paternoster Row and the villas in 4-20 Union Street. These villas were built on land allotted by Edward Macarthur who inherited the land around Pyrmont from his father and landowner, John Macarthur. The land was purchased and fashionable houses were built here from 1839 to 1840.
The notable monument within Union Square is the Pyrmont War Memorial. The structure has the names of 750 local soldiers who served in World War I. It has angel on top carrying a shield on which the words, ‘Their names liveth for evermore’ are inscribed. It was unveiled by Sir. Walter Davidson, the Governor of New South Wales in 1922.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and J Bar
4) Pyrmont Fire Station
The Pyrmont Fire Station was built in 1906. This three-story red brick building with a terracotta tiled gable roof and sandstone features is a great example of Federation Free Style architecture. Other elements include a corner tower with dome, an arch, and multiple paned upper sashes. The Pyrmont Fire Station was one of 23 stations that were closed during cutbacks in 1945.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Sardaka
5) Sydney Fish Market
The Sydney Fish Market is an authentic working wholesale market for fish in the city. It is located on Blackwattle Bay in the Inner West suburb of Pyrmont.
The Sydney Fish Market was opened in the location by the State Government in 1945. It became a privately owned firm from 1994. It is the largest seafood market in the Southern Hemisphere and the second largest in terms of the variety of species available, in the world. Buyers arrive to check the catch of the day at 5.30 in the morning before bidding at a seafood auction. Over 52 tons of fish are sold every day.
The Sydney Fish Market has a working fishing port, a wholesale fish market where fish is auctioned daily, a fresh fish retail market, many eating places where customers are assured of the freshest seafood dishes, a florist, a beverage outlet, a vegetable market and a gift shop. There is also an outdoor promenade for visitors. A behind the scenes tour takes visitors around the market to learn how a functioning fish market works. The Sydney Seafood School forms part of the market. It holds seafood cookery classes that are sometimes hosted by leading chefs from around Australia.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Jnpet
6) ANZAC Bridge
The ANZAC Bridge is the longest bridge in Australia supported by cables. It is the main link between the Sydney City Centre and Glebe Island that forms part of the West suburbs.
The ANZAC Bridge replaced the older Glebe Island Bridge. It was constructed by the engineering firm, Baulderstone, and was inaugurated in 1995. It stands 805 meters long and 32.2 meters wide. The Pylons are made of concrete and are 120 meters high. They support the deck through two planes of stay cables reinforced by thin stabilising cables. The bridge carries automobile, pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The northern side of the bridge has a pedestrian and bicycle path that is constantly patrolled and monitored as a counter terrorism measure.
The bridge was named the ANZAC Bridge in 1998 on the 80th anniversary of the Armistice Day in memory of the soldiers from Australia and New Zealand who served in World War I. The Australian flag is mounted on top of the bridge’s eastern pylon and the New Zealand flag atop the western pylon. On ANZAC day in the year 2000, a bronze memorial statue of an Australian soldier, colloquially called Digger, was placed on the western end and in 2008 a sculpture of a New Zealand soldier was added directly opposite the Digger figure.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Adam.J.W.C.