The first major Darling Harbour development, Harbourside shopping centre is like that nightclub guy still wearing a pirate shirt and an unreconstructed mullet – its 1980s stylings are no match for the chic constructions loitering on the other side of the harbour.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Australian National Maritime Museum

0.13 MILES

Beneath a soaring roof, the Maritime Museum sails through Australia’s inextricable relationship with the sea. Exhibitions range from Indigenous canoes to…

2. Cockle Bay Wharf

0.2 MILES

The showpiece of the innovative redevelopment of the southeastern corner of Darling Harbour in the late 1990s, this bar and restaurant precinct occupies…

3. Wild Life Sydney Zoo

0.21 MILES

Complementing its sister and neighbour, Sea Life, this surprisingly capacious complex houses an impressive collection of Australian native reptiles,…

4. Madame Tussauds

0.21 MILES

In this celebrity-obsessed age, it's hardly surprising that Madame Tussauds' hyperrealistic waxwork dummies are just as popular now as when the eponymous…

5. Ribbon

0.22 MILES

Due to open in 2020, this striking building will incorporate the current Western Distributor flyover and add office space, a sizeable business hotel and…

6. Sydney Sea Life Aquarium

0.22 MILES

As well as regular tanks, this impressive complex has large pools that you can walk through – safely enclosed in Perspex tunnels – as an intimidating…

7. Star Casino

0.29 MILES

The Star, Sydney's first casino complex, includes hotels, high-profile restaurants, bars, a nightclub, a good food court and a light rail station – plus…

8. Tumbalong Park

0.32 MILES

Flanked by the modern Darling Walk development, this grassy circle on Darling Harbour’s southern rump is set up for family fun. Sunbakers and frisbee…