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Darling Harbour , once a grimy industrial docks area, lay moribund until the 1980s, when the State Government chose to pump millions of dollars into the regeneration of this prime city real estate as part of the Bicentenary Project. The huge redevelopment scheme around Cockle Bay included the building of the above-ground monorail , which particularly irked environmentalists, and a new shopping and entertainment precinct which, despite bitter protests, opened in 1988. Tourists have long flocked to Darling Harbour, but it's only recently that Sydneysiders themselves have embraced it. Sneered at for years by locals as tacky and touristy, it took the 1999-2000 Cockle Bay and King Street Wharf development - an upmarket cafe and restaurant precinct on the eastern side of the waterfront, with several lively bars and a huge 2000-capacity nightclub ( Home ) - to finally lure locals in to the much-maligned area. In many ways Darling Harbour is a thoroughly stylish redevelopment - the glistening water channels that run along Palm Avenue are a great piece of modern design - and the harbour itself and the surrounding areas of Haymarket, Ultimo and Pyrmont have plenty else to offer: museums, an aquarium, entertainment areas, an IMAX cinema, a children's playground, gardens, a casino, and a convention and exhibition centre. Behind the Cockle Bay development, and accessible from it, is Darling Park , with paths laid out in the shape of a waratah flower. The western side of Darling Harbour is dominated by rather ugly modern chain hotels - the Novotel, Hotel Ibis and Grand Mercure - and the two-level Harbourside Shopping Centre , which has recently undergone a AU$60-million refurbishment; the range on the first floor is certainly more stylish than it used to be, while the ground level, one end of which remains dominated by a noisy video game parlour, has a more mainstream selection. Amongst the highlights is the first-floor Gavala: Aboriginal Owned Cultural Centre . Darling Harbour is home to many festivals and events, particularly during school holidays. To find out what's on, visit the Darling Harbour Visitor Information Centre (daily 9.30am-5.30pm; tel 9281 0788, www.darlingharbour.com.au ), next door to the IMAX cinema.
The Darling Harbour Super Ticket ($48, child $35) includes a ride on the monorail, a one-hour cruise with Matilda Cruises, entry to the Aquarium and the Chinese Garden, a meal at the Aquarium's cafe and discounts at the Imax Cinema, the Powerhouse Museum and on the People Mover Train. Tickets are available at the Darling Harbour Visitor Centre .
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