A former wool and cargo dock, this beautiful Edwardian wharf faced oblivion for decades before a 2½-year demolition-workers’ green ban on the site in the late 1980s saved it. It received a huge sprucing up in the late 1990s and has emerged as one of Sydney’s most exclusive eating, sleeping and marina addresses.

It’s still a public space, so feel free to explore the innards, past industrial conveyor-belt relics and a hotel. Along the way the wharf’s history is etched into glass walls. You might even squeeze in some star-spotting – everyman-megastar Russell Crowe is one of several personalities to have a plush pad here.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Artspace

0.1 MILES

Artspace is spacey: its eternal quest is to fill the void with vigorous, engaging Australian and international contemporary art. Things here are decidedly…

2. McElhone Stairs

0.14 MILES

These stone stairs were built in 1870 to connect spiffy Potts Point with the Woolloomooloo slums below. The steep steps run past an apartment block:…

3. Embarkation Park

0.15 MILES

The top deck of a multistorey navy carpark doesn't sound like a great place to hang out, but this beautiful park is a hidden gem, offering a secluded…

4. Art Gallery of NSW

0.21 MILES

With its neoclassical Greek frontage and modern rear, this much-loved institution plays a prominent and gregarious role in Sydney society. Blockbuster…

5. Speakers’ Corner

0.23 MILES

Recline on a patch of lawn in front of the Art Gallery of NSW and listen to religious zealots, oddballs, political extremists, homophobes, hippies and…

6. The Domain

0.31 MILES

Administered by the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Domain is a large grassy tract east of Macquarie St, set aside by Governor Phillip in 1788 for public…

7. Elizabeth Bay House

0.35 MILES

Now dwarfed by 20th-century apartments, Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleay's elegant Greek Revival mansion was one of the finest houses in the colony…

8. The Cross Arts Projects

0.36 MILES

This little commercial gallery stages interesting curated shows, including lots of Aboriginal art.