The Sydney Fish Market is a fish market in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The market sits on the Blackwattle Bay foreshore in Pyrmont, 2 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district. It is the world's third largest fish market.
The Sydney Fish Market is a fish market in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The market sits on the Blackwattle Bay foreshore in Pyrmont, 2 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district. It is the world's third largest fish market.
Sydney Fish Market incorporates a working fishing port, wholesale fish market, fresh seafood retail market, a delicatessen, a sushi bar, a bakery, a gift shop, a fruit and vegetable market, a new meat deli, a beverage outlet, a seafood cooking school, indoor seating and an outdoor promenade for visitors. There are daily wholesale auctions for Sydney's seafood retailers.
The original Fish Market was established, in 1871, at Woolloomooloo, [1] then and for many years later the mooring site of the local Sydney fishing fleet. [2] It expanded over time to occupy the block bounded by Bourke, Plunkett, Forbes and Wilson Streets, Woolloomooloo. [1]
Unhygienic conditions at the Woolloomooloo market and the extension of railways to the coastal areas to the north of Sydney led to the formation, in 1891, of a second, more modern, privately owned fish market [3] —known as the 'Southern Fish Market' [4] —located at Redfern Street, Redfern. [5] In 1892, the Woolloomooloo market was expanded for the last time, then becoming known as the 'Eastern Market'. [1] The Sydney City Council had passed a bylaw requiring that any fish sold in Sydney was first inspected at the Woolloomooloo market, [6] jeopardising the railway-based business model of the Redfern market and its ability to directly market fish from Botany. [7] In 1897, the 'Southern Market' buildings were for sale at auction [8] but the market operations continued, opening a new building in 1903. [7] Around 1907–1908, the Woolloomooloo market was taken over by the Sydney City Council, without compensation; that led to the exodus of some agents to the 'Southern Market', [9] which was further expanded in 1910 [10] after being incorporated as Commonwealth Cooperative Fish Exchange Limited in 1908. [11] [5]
A newer Municipal Fish Market, opened in 1911, at the corner of Thomas and Engine Streets in the Haymarket area; [12] it was also known as the 'City Fish Market'. It was a part of the produce market complex that the Sydney City Council had constructed in the Haymarket. The original market at Woolloomooloo continued to operate, but in a greatly diminished form. [13]
For a time, Sydney had three separate 'fish markets'; the privately owned market at Redfern was in open conflict with the City Council, [14] owner of the 'City' and old Woolloomooloo markets. The Council had the backing of the N.S.W. State Government, which passed an Act—The Sydney Corporation (Fish Markets) Act, 1922 (Act No. 39, 1922)—that empowered the City Council to acquire the assets of Commonwealth Cooperative Fish Exchange Limited and to centralize fish marketing operations in Sydney at the Municipal Market. [15]
The end of the 'Southern Market' came in early 1923. [16] The Colonial Secretary of NSW, Charles Oakes, had refused to renew licences of fish agents who operated at the Redfern market [9] [17] and the Fisherman's Union agreed to only supply fish to the 'City Fish Market', which subsequently became a profitable monopoly; [18] that forced the Redfern agents to move to Haymarket and the City Council purchased the disused Redfern market building. [19] The Redfern market building became a hostel for the unemployed during the Great Depression. [20] The dormant 'Eastern Market' site at Woolloomooloo was sold to John Wren in 1926. [21]
The Fish Market remained in Haymarket, until it relocated to its current location at Blackwattle Bay in 1966. [12]
The wholesale marketing of fish in Sydney originally was in the hands of licensed agents at Haymarket. At places other than Sydney, unlicensed operators—most typically fishermen's cooperatives—marketed fish. The Fish Marketing Authority was established in 1964, by the NSW State Government, and it established a regulated wholesale market. The new organisation relocated the Fish Market to Blackwattle Bay in 1966. [22]
During the 1980s, new buildings were erected. These both provided an improved auction floor and expanded the secondary role of the Sydney Fish Market as a visitor attraction and retail venue.
Until 1989, fish was sold, under a traditional 'voice' auction, to the highest bidder. A computerised Dutch auction system was introduced in October 1989, greatly increasing the efficiency of the sale process. [22]
The Sydney Fish Market was privatised, in 1994, as Sydney Fish Market Pty Ltd. This company is owned in equal parts by the harvesting and marketing sectors of the N.S.W. seafood industry—the Catchers Trust of N.S.W. and the Sydney Fish Market Tenants and Merchants Pty Ltd. [23]
Between 1997 and 1999, fish marketing was deregulated in stages and the Sydney Fish Market lost its monopoly in Sydney. [22] However, the efficiency and scale of the auctioning operations at Blackwattle Bay means that a large amount of seafood still goes through the Sydney Fish Market.
Although it draws over 3.5-million visitors per year, in recent years, there has been criticism of the aesthetics and environmental aspects of the market facilities. Earlier plans to upgrade the market site have not eventuated and the site has been described as dirty and smelly; authentic perhaps, but not an ideal tourist destination. [12]
In September 2023, a big crane crashed into the market. One person was injured [24]
On 7 November 2016, the New South Wales Government announced the market would move to a new 35,000 sq m complex on an adjacent site. The new complex will include 15,500 sq m of seafood retail space – compared with 6582 sq m of space for the existing site. [25] [26] On 17 June 2020, the New South Wales Government approved the final plans for the new markets. [27] Completion is scheduled for late 2024. [28]
The redevelopment forms part of the New South Wales Government's Bays Precinct urban renewal program.
The mural inside Sydney Fish Market was designed by Australian artist Keith Howland. It is made up of about 400 individually glazed ceramic tiles and measures eight metres long and four metres wide and was installed in 1990. It took the artist about 12 months to complete and it depicts the fishing industry in New South Wales from Yamba on the Far North Coast to Sydney.
The Fish Market tram stop on the L1 Dulwich Hill Line is located nearby. [29] The market is also served by the 501 bus route. [30]
Tsukiji Market is a major tourist attraction for both domestic and overseas visitors in Tokyo. The area contains retail markets, restaurants, and associated restaurant supply stores. Before 2018, it was the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world. The market opened on 11 February 1935 as a replacement for an older market that was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. It was closed on 6 October 2018, with wholesale operations moving to the new Toyosu Market. The outer market that sells food and other goods remains in the area and is still open.
The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, the City of Sydney is the oldest, and the oldest-surviving, local government authority in New South Wales, and the second-oldest in Australia, with only the City of Adelaide being older by two years.
Woolloomooloo is a harbourside, inner-city eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1.5 kilometres east of the central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. It is in a low-lying, former docklands area at the head of Woolloomooloo Bay, on Sydney Harbour. The Domain sits to the west, the locality of East Sydney is near the south-west corner of the suburb and the locality of Kings Cross is near the south-east corner. Potts Point is immediately to the east.
The Eastern Suburbs Railway (ESR) is a commuter railway line in Sydney constructed in the 1970s. It is operated by Sydney Trains and has stations at Martin Place, Kings Cross, Edgecliff and Bondi Junction. In addition, it has dedicated platforms at Town Hall, Central and Redfern stations. All of these stations are underground. The Eastern Suburbs railway connects with the Illawarra line at Erskineville, forming the Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line. The line features turnbacks at Central, Martin Place and Bondi Junction. There was also previously a rarely used cross-over at Edgecliff. It operates a service every 3 to 5 minutes during weekday peak hours and 8 to 10 minutes at all other times.
The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or city centre is often referred to simply as "Town" or "the City". The Sydney city centre extends southwards for about 3 km (2 mi) from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement in which the Sydney region was initially established.
Sydney Secondary College is a multi-campus urban government-funded, co-educational, dual modality, partially academically selective and comprehensive secondary day school, located in the Inner West region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
James Sinclair Taylor McGowen was an Australian politician. He served as premier of New South Wales from 1910 to 1913, the first member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) to hold the position, and was a key figure in the party's early history in New South Wales.
The Blackwattle Bay Campus of the Sydney Secondary College is a government-funded co-educational dual modality comprehensive senior secondary day school, located in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Glebe, New South Wales, New South Wales, Australia.
Paddy's Markets is a commercial enterprise that has two large markets in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Paddy's Markets are located in Haymarket and Flemington and specialise in the sale of fruit, vegetables, fish, clothes and giftware. Both markets are operated by Sydney Markets Limited, along with the rest of Sydney Markets located at Flemington.
The Finger Wharf is a heritage-listed former wharf and passenger terminal and now marina, residential apartments, hotel and restaurant located at 6 Cowper Wharf Road, in the inner city Sydney suburb of Woolloomooloo, Australia. It was designed by Henry D. Walsh and built from 1910 to 1915 by the Sydney Harbour Trust. It is also known as Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf and Woolloomooloo Wharf. The property is owned by Transport for NSW. The structure is the longest timbered-piled wharf in the world.
Sydney is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly of the Australian state of New South Wales in Inner Sydney. It includes the Sydney CBD; the suburbs and localities of Barangaroo, Broadway, Chinatown, Darling Harbour, Darlinghurst, Dawes Point, Elizabeth Bay, Haymarket, Millers Point, Paddington, Potts Point, Pyrmont, The Rocks, Woolloomooloo, Wynyard, Surry Hills, Rushcutters Bay; and parts of Ultimo.
The Sydney Markets are a group of wholesale and retail markets in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Sydney Markets are located in the Inner West suburb of Flemington, New South Wales, 16 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district. Flemington is in the local government area of the Municipality of Strathfield. The market is the primary distribution hub of fresh produce, flowers and other food products for Sydney. The market has a wholesale sales section that caters to larger businesses and general sales to the public. The market is the central marketplace for Sydney's farmers to sell their products. It has a history dating back to 1788. The operator of the markets is Sydney Markets Limited, formerly the Sydney Markets Authority, but privatised in 1997. As well as the markets at Flemington, Sydney Markets Limited also operates the inner city Paddy's Market in Haymarket.
Blackwattle Bay is a bay located to the south–east of Glebe Island and east of Rozelle Bay on Sydney Harbour, in New South Wales, Australia. The bay was named in 1788 after the black wattle tree found at the bay, which was used for housing construction.
The coastal coal-carrying trade of New South Wales involved the shipping of coal—mainly for local consumption but also for export or coal bunkering—by sea to Sydney from the northern and southern coal fields of New South Wales. It took place in the 19th and 20th centuries. It should not be confused with the export coal trade, which still exists today. There was also an interstate trade, carrying coal and coke to other Australian states that did not have local sources of black coal.
Oakleigh is a heritage-listed residence and former boarding house at 18 Ward Avenue in the inner city Sydney suburb of Potts Point in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built c. 1880 on the former estate of the now-demolished Goderich Lodge. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
55 Victoria Street is a heritage-listed residence and former boarding house and Catholic Women's Association hostel located at 55 Victoria Street in the inner city Sydney suburb of Potts Point in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1875. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Jenner House is a heritage-listed residence located at 2 Macleay Street in the inner city Sydney suburb of Potts Point in the City of Sydney local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Edmund Blacket and built in 1871, with an 1877 third-floor addition designed by Thomas Rowe. It has also been known as Fleet Club, Stramshall, Jenner Private Hospital, Kurragheen and Lugano. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
181–187 Hay Street, also known as the Corporation Building or Municipal Building, is a heritage-listed former council chambers located at 181–187 Hay Street, in the Haymarket district of Sydney, Australia. It was built from 1893. The property is owned by City of Sydney and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The Stone Fleet was the colloquial name for the small coastal ships that carried crushed-stone construction aggregate to Sydney from the Illawarra ports of Kiama and Shellharbour and the nearby ocean jetties at Bombo and Bass Point.
