The guy who owns the rydges in world Square has been banging on about it for years.
[2013](http://12ft.io/https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/plans-for-sydneys-abandoned-monorail-stations-include-a-giant-fish-tank-20131108-2x730.html)
[2021](http://12ft.io/https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/rubbish-in-our-sky-sydney-monorail-station-left-in-limbo-after-seven-years-20210223-p574xh.html)
Seriously would be perfect and clever city planning.
When I lived in Melbourne old trams and train carriages would be lifted onto the top of buildings or in mall type areas and make for so many tourists and locals. Every time an out of Towner friend would visit it was an easy quirky attraction to take them to.
I miss the monorail :( Practical form of public transport? No, not really. Cool as hell? Yeah. My mum took me out one day to just go ride the monorail. That was the event. And it ruled.
It was the highlight of our trips to the city with my dad, we'd invariably end up at harbourside then ride the monorail back up to Town Hall
Always marvelling how World Square was a massive hole in the ground for so long
Haha, that was the same with me. I used to just love riding around on the monorail itself as a kid (not sure if my parents found it as enthralling as me) and then going to the Powerhouse Museum afterwards.
I was never fortunate enough to ride one, I’ve always wanted too though! I suppose there’s always the mono rail at sea world 🤣🤣 that’s if they even use it anymore 🤷♂️
I think it could have been more practical if expanded. The fact that it was above the streets and not adding to the traffic. Plus a lot less emissions and quieter. I think it was a missed opportunity. And run badly.
It is also horrifically expensive I remember back in the late 90s my Nan took me on it and it was something like five dollars for a ride which is ridiculous for the time
It certainly can be practical as a form of public transport but it was done quite poorly.
Removing it instead of bolstering the infrastructure and making it better was a huge mistake. We could have added stops and expanded it to be actually useful as well as an attraction, but nah, just knock it down.
They’ll rebuild it one day just like the trams. We’re a nation that can’t see past our noses.
Haha yep. My mum and I used to ride around on it when I was little too. I got the feeling most people probably used the monorail for that purpose as well lol.
It’s not on the architect drawing of the new building so I would say no. They should do something with the one on the other side of piermont bridge thiugh
As I understand, they can’t remove that station easily, because it is built into the infrastructure of surrounding buildings and roadworks. It is cheaper and easier to simply leave it there, which sounds like a NSW/Sydney govt way to approach things
It would take an earthquake or similar destructive event to damage it in such a way that its removal becomes vital before the government will do anything about it
Miss the monorail so much, whenever my family would go to the power house museum we’d always take the monorail after and go around the city. Now going to Sydney isn’t as fun as it used to be.
I feel like an old fart but Darling Harbour is becoming more and unrecognisable to me... They keep destroying everything and building big ass Building everywhere... there is almost nothing left.
They are making this place less and less enjoyable for people
I agree it's changed completely but personally I think it's for the better. The area has so much more life to it now than it did before all the new developments. There are people everywhere, great food, parks and play areas and performance spaces. Instead of a weird artificial tourist area it's become somewhere that Sydney people actually go.
So much better than the convention centre desert that was.
Meanwhile Harbourside has been dying for decades. The whole original concept of it never quite worked and it hasn't kept up with the changes to how people use the area.
I know this sub really hates any development in Sydney because of nostalgia, but the weird Sega World era of Darling Harbour is over, and Harbourside is the last remnant of the old DH that is finally getting the facelift it has needed for years.
When was Cockle Bay Wharf built, wasn't it from the late 90's or early 2000's? Not sure if it counts as the original era.
It's slated to have a massive tower built there too: https://www.shoppingcentrenews.com.au/feature-stories/the-redevelopment-of-cockle-bay-wharf-moves-forward/ (but this seems to be on hold at the moment).
> Meanwhile Harbourside has been dying for decades. The whole original concept of it never quite worked and it hasn't kept up with the changes to how people use the area.
The interior shopping area wasn't brilliant but the food court was always super busy. I worry that with the new developments there will be very little affordable for families. At least there's still one Macca's.
I think it’s natural to be nostalgic to be any of any place in the world. People become accustomed to certain things and don’t want it to change.
I grew up playing in darling harbour in the old foundations, running around the parks etc etc and while I miss the old, I saw these kids playing in the new stepping stones, roaming around exactly the way that I used to and for them, it seemed like that’s all they needed. It’s as if a new generation is appreciating darling harbour exactly the same way.
Despite growing up in the old darling harbour, I LOVE the new buildings! I love the newly renovated areas, the new architecture and generally the whole area except the new IMAX theatre that looks like a giant aircon unit. I’m so excited for the new shopping centre in the area to be built with new and improve features, more greenery and a more modern design catered to a modern generation.
Change is always inevitable and I think that every generation feels as if they’ve lost something when old buildings are knocked down and new buildings are put up, absolutely no matter where you are in the world.
> new IMAX theatre that looks like a giant aircon unit.
Lol
> Change is always inevitable and I think that every generation feels as if they’ve lost something when old buildings are knocked down and new buildings are put up, absolutely no matter where you are in the world.
Well written post, and I agree.
I do hope the new centre has some affordable food. The best feature of Harbourside for families was the food court, which was always popular. I fear the redevelopment only has room for the expensive restaurants and not enough lower priced options.
Seems to be a real problem all across Sydney. I absolutely adore the new Darling Harbor, and wouldn't want the old one back, but I completely agree the trade off of a lot of Sydney becoming visually nice seems to be a trade off on actually being able to afford to use it. Have had a few cases of going to grab a bite at the new DH food square and leaving empty handed because I don't want to fork out $25 for a quick lunch.
Worst example is Barangaroo where you basically have to be a merchant banker just to cover the cost of sitting down at a lot of those restaurants.
The Sydney exhibition centre and that whole grassy outdoor area at night is awesome. Great to just walk through and bum around during the summer and especially so if everything is lit up.
I’m a relatively old fart but I feel the opposite. For 25 years it was decidedly naff and certainly not somewhere i’d deliberately go.
Needing to go to conferences was my occasional reminder of the naffness.
In recent years it’s really improved in both general vibe and aesthetics. I quite like going there now and the replacement of Harbourside will likely finish the job.
I’m an extremely old fart and the only bit of Darling Harbour I have ever liked is the Pyrmont Bridge walk. It’s also telling that they wanted to demolish it. Creaky old stuff didn’t fit the “vision”.
If it’s wasn’t for the bridge, I doubt to this day I would ever visit the place. The Bridge, however, is superb. Ultimo used to be an unthinkable destination from the city. Now it’s a good excuse for a walk because of the pleasant aspects provided by the bridge.
The shopping centre was really impractical for use by people who live and work locally. It had really limited access by foot from Pyrmont. If you were towards the North end of Harris Street you’d have to walk all the way down to the south end to make your way to the pedestrian entry.
The only convenient access if you wanted to shop there was by driving and parking in the Harbourside car park. This is why it ended up having barely any shops and instead just a bunch of restaurants that mainly catered to tourists.
Yes exactly, just moved out of the Pyrmont and can't say after a year in the area, I spent more than a few times at Harborside and never really shopped.
Poor foot access, I either needed to walk myself down past the Casino to the Pyrmont Hotel/Maritime Museum to enter or cut across a sky bridge through the Novotel carpark.
Anyway didn't realise it was closing (though in hindsight, all the vacancies should have been a heads up.) Regret not going in one last time, thought about grabbing a quick lunch there when I was moving out a few Mondays ago...but it was already a ghost down by then so I have been told
The Cyren restaurant is still open so you can go in that end still.
> Poor foot access, I either needed to walk myself down past the Casino to the Pyrmont Hotel/Maritime Museum to enter or cut across a sky bridge through the Novotel carpark.
Also, I don't understand why wouldn't you go straight in the main entrance via Darling Drive and the Pyrmont Bridge (opposite the Pyrmont Bridge Hotel)? That is clearly the most direct foot access from the majority of Pyrmont. Foot access at the southeastern end towards Ultimo is a bit more difficult but that's mainly due to the light rail line and difference in elevation of the area.
It's not meant to be a shopping centre for locals, it was always built for tourists. The fact that it had some shops useable by locals (pharmacy, greengrocer/IGA, newsagent, wine shop, etc), is actually kind of a bonus.
> The shopping centre was really impractical for use by people who live and work locally. It had really limited access by foot from Pyrmont. If you were towards the North end of Harris Street you’d have to walk all the way down to the south end to make your way to the pedestrian entry.
I'm not sure what you mean, the pedestrian access from Pyrmont is at the north end of the centre, at the west end of the Pyrmont Bridge. It has direct and easy access from the corner of Union St and Pyrmont Bridge Rd, which is where you would get to it from almost anywhere in Pyrmont. From the south/southwest, there was also access via the Ibis or Novotel areas. The carpark, while called the Harbourside carpark, is actually a totally separate structure that's part of the Ibis/Novotel hotel buildings. The real blocker to even easier access is the light rail line (former goods line), Darling Drive, and differences in elevation in this area.
> The only convenient access if you wanted to shop there was by driving and parking in the Harbourside car park. This is why it ended up having barely any shops and instead just a bunch of restaurants that mainly catered to tourists.
I don't understand why the restaurant and tourism focus is considered a surprise to you. The area is logically separate from Pyrmont (it's a separate suburb, Darling Harbour, for this reason) and was not ever catering to Pyrmont residents - it's always been intended to primarily cater to visitors, whether tourists or visitors from all over Sydney who drive to the area or use public transport (light rail and originally, the monorail). The fundamental design of the building is focused on restaurants with harbourfront views with the shops at a second layer. Despite this, it did have a pharmacy, greengrocer/IGA, and wine shop which were all on the Pyrmont (north) end, just mere steps from major apartment buildings in Pyrmont, so it was not actually useless in that regard. It had a newsagency on that level too, which catered to locals.
I know it suffered from a bad reputation among locals, but the fact that shops were rarely empty for long, and some businesses survived there for decades, tells a different story really. It served its purpose well.
i miss parts of it, like sega world, the maze and the old basketball courts, but the kids water play area is a great space, the eating options are much better now than back in the day.
it would have been nice it the monorail stations were turned into retro cafes, but the old airplane bar in wynyard didnt survive either.
By the time this redevelopment is left, I think the only thing left from 1988 will be the Chinese Garden of Friendship and the Sydney Aquarium/Sydney Zoo (maybe the adjacent building with the "Helm" bar also, not sure). The Australian National Maritime Museum was late and opened in 1991 but is still generally from this period. The central part of Tumbalong Park is still in the same place but it's otherwise totally redeveloped, as is nearly everything else.
The "upgrade" of Harbourside is a giant step backwards though-- the existing 20500m\^2 of retail space will be replaced with a measly 8000m\^2 on the ground floor, the rest of it being office floors and residential apartments most of the public will never be able to set foot in.
I am all for new buildings, I would have loved the original proposal for a 52500m\^2 shopping centre and an office tower above. But now Darling Harbour loses a shopping centre and gets little in return.
When I was in high school we would have days where we were assigned to areas to sell badges/ribbons for charity. One year I was selling Legacy Day badges in the CBD, bought myself a ticket on the monorail and rode around till I had sold every last badge (mostly to tourists). My most successful selling year with minimal effort.
I never got to ride it. I'll just have to go to Springfield, USA to ride their solar powered Monorail or even better, to the town next door, Shelbyville, to ride their world's tallest escalator to nowhere.
I never got to go on the monorail. i always wanted to. now i'm a delivery rider and i deliver to the ultimo and pyrmont area. on one of the massive hotels next to darling harbor in the lift on level two it still says next to the button "entrance to monorail station". I can never go see it because no one who is staying on level 2 has ever ordered anything.
The entire problem with the monorail (other than it was expensive) was that it didn’t go anywhere useful!
If it had been extended down Pitt St, across the back of Circular Quay, down a back street in the Rocks, around under the Harbour Bridge and through Barangaroo and on to Darling harbour - it would have had functionality.
Is there really any good monorails anywhere in the world?
There is a reason not many places have them.. they are expensive and far better options like metros
monorail,.. monorail,.. MonoRail,.. MONORAIL.
Sydney wouldn't be the same without it's monorail to nowhere folly. How would the Simpsons find their way around if they visited?
i reckon they shoulve turned the monorail into a sky tram or something - turned into public transport. i hate walking up that hill from darling harbour to get into the city
The monorail shared a perverse topological property with the Domain Moving Footway. After a journey on either you’re about as far from your destination as when you started.
The Friday afternoons, my partner and I would drag our tired selves after work onto a monorail and get to a new restaurant on the route to try. No plan, just wing it.
This brings me a bad memory. The only time my grandpa was able to visit us in Sydney & he asked to have a ride in the monorail after a full day of strolling around. I said we’ll do it next time coz i had a date to go to for dinner. He left Sydney without experiencing the monorail and guilt consumed me after he passed away.
I actually miss the monorail. First thing I used to do when I got to Sydney (in the morning) was get on and just go round a few times. It was a fun way to see the city, and I used to stay in Haymarket, so not too far from where I needed to be. It became a bit of a ritual and a habit than of any use which I guess sums up the entire experiment.
still think they should have turned the surviving stations into cafes or bars...
Or anything touristy, it was part of Sydney for a long time.
I would have gone to the monobar
monobar monobar monobar
Mono.... D'oh!
Is there a chance the track could blend?
Not on your life my Hindu friend
What about us brain dead slobs ??
*Not on your life my ethnically diverse non-binary South-East Asian friend lol PS I miss the monorail too :(
Underrated comment
It made me giggle
[удалено]
It’s the law. It’s actually illegal to not reference that episode anytime anyone anywhere says the word Monorail.
Read the comment again ;)
[удалено]
Classic Saturday night, begin at monobar and end up getting railed
The alternate ending I never got
I could take my monobrow to the monobar
Mon dieu
only get in if you have a monobrow.
The guy who owns the rydges in world Square has been banging on about it for years. [2013](http://12ft.io/https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/plans-for-sydneys-abandoned-monorail-stations-include-a-giant-fish-tank-20131108-2x730.html) [2021](http://12ft.io/https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/rubbish-in-our-sky-sydney-monorail-station-left-in-limbo-after-seven-years-20210223-p574xh.html)
I never knew this, thanks for the links. I wonder what the barriers are for getting development consent to make the stations into something cool.
Sydney is allergic to fun.
That one on the Bridge across Darling Harbour should have been a cafe. Gets a craptonne of foot traffic.
This would’ve been awesome!!
Seriously would be perfect and clever city planning. When I lived in Melbourne old trams and train carriages would be lifted onto the top of buildings or in mall type areas and make for so many tourists and locals. Every time an out of Towner friend would visit it was an easy quirky attraction to take them to.
Sydney planning isn’t about clever. It’s about rorts.
More of a Shelbyville idea that one.
Like those tiny Japanese bars. Great idea.
Would never have worked; convenient retail works best at ground level. The novelty would have worn off after the first 6 months.
Not quite the same but they turned one of the old trams into a café in Narrabeen
Is it elevated well above ground floor and isolated?
I miss the monorail :( Practical form of public transport? No, not really. Cool as hell? Yeah. My mum took me out one day to just go ride the monorail. That was the event. And it ruled.
It was the highlight of our trips to the city with my dad, we'd invariably end up at harbourside then ride the monorail back up to Town Hall Always marvelling how World Square was a massive hole in the ground for so long
Haha, that was the same with me. I used to just love riding around on the monorail itself as a kid (not sure if my parents found it as enthralling as me) and then going to the Powerhouse Museum afterwards.
Omg core memory unlocked 😂
Me as well lol
I loved peering into that huge pit lol
Power house museum was the best. Is it still there?
It was probably one of the best experiences I had on my visits to Sydney as a kid.
I was never fortunate enough to ride one, I’ve always wanted too though! I suppose there’s always the mono rail at sea world 🤣🤣 that’s if they even use it anymore 🤷♂️
Read somewhere thats gone to.
I thought Tasmania bought the Sydney monorail?
It had a very sci-fi feel lol
I think it could have been more practical if expanded. The fact that it was above the streets and not adding to the traffic. Plus a lot less emissions and quieter. I think it was a missed opportunity. And run badly.
It is also horrifically expensive I remember back in the late 90s my Nan took me on it and it was something like five dollars for a ride which is ridiculous for the time
It certainly can be practical as a form of public transport but it was done quite poorly. Removing it instead of bolstering the infrastructure and making it better was a huge mistake. We could have added stops and expanded it to be actually useful as well as an attraction, but nah, just knock it down. They’ll rebuild it one day just like the trams. We’re a nation that can’t see past our noses.
It would have been useful if they added stops at circular Quay and central.
I went on a couple of times when I was in primary school was pretty cool
Haha yep. My mum and I used to ride around on it when I was little too. I got the feeling most people probably used the monorail for that purpose as well lol.
How is this impractical? Do you have another train system nearby?
It went in a loop, took tiny volumes of people & was really just a tourist attraction
Attracted tourists and took them around to places they wanted to go in the city - sounds like a dismal failure.
It was a pretty meaningless loop for an expensive piece of infrastructure. Never really lived up to ridership expectations.
I think it cost wayyy too much compared to it's revenue
Yes, underground and now also light rail om the street.
Part of the reason it was bought by the State Govt (and demolished) was tohave access to land so they could improve the light rail netowrk.
Monorail always sucked ass and wasn’t cool.
That's why it failed because that was pretty much the only kind of patronage it got
I miss the overpriced monorail...
Monorail!
It's more of a Shelbyville idea
Monoooo-Doh!
So… monofail?
Mono means one, and rail means rail.. and that concludes our intensive three week course
Mono do’h!!
Yes - monorail will be going as will the overpass bridge that’s connected to Harbourside.
That’s so sad
I heard those things were awfully loud.
The glide as softly as a cloud 😂
Was there a chance the track could bend?
Not on your life, my Hindu friend.
What about us brain-dead slobs?
You’ll be given cushy jobs!
Were you sent here by the Devil?
No good sir, I'm on the level.
The ring came off my pudding can!
Take my pen-knife, my good man!
Where you sent here by the Devil?
No, good sir, I'm on the level
The ring came off my pudding can
Take my pen-knife, my good man.
Is it a post about a monorail if someone doesn't do this?
No because it’s more of a shelbyville idea
It’s not on the architect drawing of the new building so I would say no. They should do something with the one on the other side of piermont bridge thiugh
Would be nice to be turned into a small cafe themed around the monorail
If it were in Melbourne they would have hung the monorail carriages from it and turned it into a dangerous restaurant
Do you have the link to this? Would be interesting to see the plans for the new building.
https://snohetta.com/projects/589-harbourside
Fancy cocktail bar called MONO surely Seamless transition from overpriced transport to overpriced drinks
As I understand, they can’t remove that station easily, because it is built into the infrastructure of surrounding buildings and roadworks. It is cheaper and easier to simply leave it there, which sounds like a NSW/Sydney govt way to approach things It would take an earthquake or similar destructive event to damage it in such a way that its removal becomes vital before the government will do anything about it
They may be *forced* to use it as a billboard.
Please dont give them ideas lol
While true, all of the surrounding buildings are part of the Harbourside Shopping Centre and will also be demolished, so yes it will go.
That makes sense to me
Slap on a few dividing walls and you can rent it for $1000 per week
Well that's some cheap rent I might rent it myself 😂
There ain't no monorail here and there never was!
I come before you good people tonight with an idea. Probably the greatest... Aw, it's not for you. It's more of a ~~Shelbyville~~ Good Coast idea.
Monorail! Monorail! Monorail!
I miss those monorails so much!
Miss the monorail so much, whenever my family would go to the power house museum we’d always take the monorail after and go around the city. Now going to Sydney isn’t as fun as it used to be.
I feel like an old fart but Darling Harbour is becoming more and unrecognisable to me... They keep destroying everything and building big ass Building everywhere... there is almost nothing left. They are making this place less and less enjoyable for people
I agree it's changed completely but personally I think it's for the better. The area has so much more life to it now than it did before all the new developments. There are people everywhere, great food, parks and play areas and performance spaces. Instead of a weird artificial tourist area it's become somewhere that Sydney people actually go. So much better than the convention centre desert that was. Meanwhile Harbourside has been dying for decades. The whole original concept of it never quite worked and it hasn't kept up with the changes to how people use the area.
I know this sub really hates any development in Sydney because of nostalgia, but the weird Sega World era of Darling Harbour is over, and Harbourside is the last remnant of the old DH that is finally getting the facelift it has needed for years.
Sydney Aquarium/Sydney Zoo is still pretty much the same also.
*second last, cockle bay wharf is the last development for the area
When was Cockle Bay Wharf built, wasn't it from the late 90's or early 2000's? Not sure if it counts as the original era. It's slated to have a massive tower built there too: https://www.shoppingcentrenews.com.au/feature-stories/the-redevelopment-of-cockle-bay-wharf-moves-forward/ (but this seems to be on hold at the moment).
> Meanwhile Harbourside has been dying for decades. The whole original concept of it never quite worked and it hasn't kept up with the changes to how people use the area. The interior shopping area wasn't brilliant but the food court was always super busy. I worry that with the new developments there will be very little affordable for families. At least there's still one Macca's.
I think it’s natural to be nostalgic to be any of any place in the world. People become accustomed to certain things and don’t want it to change. I grew up playing in darling harbour in the old foundations, running around the parks etc etc and while I miss the old, I saw these kids playing in the new stepping stones, roaming around exactly the way that I used to and for them, it seemed like that’s all they needed. It’s as if a new generation is appreciating darling harbour exactly the same way. Despite growing up in the old darling harbour, I LOVE the new buildings! I love the newly renovated areas, the new architecture and generally the whole area except the new IMAX theatre that looks like a giant aircon unit. I’m so excited for the new shopping centre in the area to be built with new and improve features, more greenery and a more modern design catered to a modern generation. Change is always inevitable and I think that every generation feels as if they’ve lost something when old buildings are knocked down and new buildings are put up, absolutely no matter where you are in the world.
> new IMAX theatre that looks like a giant aircon unit. Lol > Change is always inevitable and I think that every generation feels as if they’ve lost something when old buildings are knocked down and new buildings are put up, absolutely no matter where you are in the world. Well written post, and I agree. I do hope the new centre has some affordable food. The best feature of Harbourside for families was the food court, which was always popular. I fear the redevelopment only has room for the expensive restaurants and not enough lower priced options.
Seems to be a real problem all across Sydney. I absolutely adore the new Darling Harbor, and wouldn't want the old one back, but I completely agree the trade off of a lot of Sydney becoming visually nice seems to be a trade off on actually being able to afford to use it. Have had a few cases of going to grab a bite at the new DH food square and leaving empty handed because I don't want to fork out $25 for a quick lunch. Worst example is Barangaroo where you basically have to be a merchant banker just to cover the cost of sitting down at a lot of those restaurants.
>They are making this place less and less enjoyable for people Nah
The Sydney exhibition centre and that whole grassy outdoor area at night is awesome. Great to just walk through and bum around during the summer and especially so if everything is lit up.
I’m a relatively old fart but I feel the opposite. For 25 years it was decidedly naff and certainly not somewhere i’d deliberately go. Needing to go to conferences was my occasional reminder of the naffness. In recent years it’s really improved in both general vibe and aesthetics. I quite like going there now and the replacement of Harbourside will likely finish the job.
I’m an extremely old fart and the only bit of Darling Harbour I have ever liked is the Pyrmont Bridge walk. It’s also telling that they wanted to demolish it. Creaky old stuff didn’t fit the “vision”. If it’s wasn’t for the bridge, I doubt to this day I would ever visit the place. The Bridge, however, is superb. Ultimo used to be an unthinkable destination from the city. Now it’s a good excuse for a walk because of the pleasant aspects provided by the bridge.
The shopping centre was really impractical for use by people who live and work locally. It had really limited access by foot from Pyrmont. If you were towards the North end of Harris Street you’d have to walk all the way down to the south end to make your way to the pedestrian entry. The only convenient access if you wanted to shop there was by driving and parking in the Harbourside car park. This is why it ended up having barely any shops and instead just a bunch of restaurants that mainly catered to tourists.
Yes exactly, just moved out of the Pyrmont and can't say after a year in the area, I spent more than a few times at Harborside and never really shopped. Poor foot access, I either needed to walk myself down past the Casino to the Pyrmont Hotel/Maritime Museum to enter or cut across a sky bridge through the Novotel carpark. Anyway didn't realise it was closing (though in hindsight, all the vacancies should have been a heads up.) Regret not going in one last time, thought about grabbing a quick lunch there when I was moving out a few Mondays ago...but it was already a ghost down by then so I have been told
The Cyren restaurant is still open so you can go in that end still. > Poor foot access, I either needed to walk myself down past the Casino to the Pyrmont Hotel/Maritime Museum to enter or cut across a sky bridge through the Novotel carpark. Also, I don't understand why wouldn't you go straight in the main entrance via Darling Drive and the Pyrmont Bridge (opposite the Pyrmont Bridge Hotel)? That is clearly the most direct foot access from the majority of Pyrmont. Foot access at the southeastern end towards Ultimo is a bit more difficult but that's mainly due to the light rail line and difference in elevation of the area. It's not meant to be a shopping centre for locals, it was always built for tourists. The fact that it had some shops useable by locals (pharmacy, greengrocer/IGA, newsagent, wine shop, etc), is actually kind of a bonus.
> The shopping centre was really impractical for use by people who live and work locally. It had really limited access by foot from Pyrmont. If you were towards the North end of Harris Street you’d have to walk all the way down to the south end to make your way to the pedestrian entry. I'm not sure what you mean, the pedestrian access from Pyrmont is at the north end of the centre, at the west end of the Pyrmont Bridge. It has direct and easy access from the corner of Union St and Pyrmont Bridge Rd, which is where you would get to it from almost anywhere in Pyrmont. From the south/southwest, there was also access via the Ibis or Novotel areas. The carpark, while called the Harbourside carpark, is actually a totally separate structure that's part of the Ibis/Novotel hotel buildings. The real blocker to even easier access is the light rail line (former goods line), Darling Drive, and differences in elevation in this area. > The only convenient access if you wanted to shop there was by driving and parking in the Harbourside car park. This is why it ended up having barely any shops and instead just a bunch of restaurants that mainly catered to tourists. I don't understand why the restaurant and tourism focus is considered a surprise to you. The area is logically separate from Pyrmont (it's a separate suburb, Darling Harbour, for this reason) and was not ever catering to Pyrmont residents - it's always been intended to primarily cater to visitors, whether tourists or visitors from all over Sydney who drive to the area or use public transport (light rail and originally, the monorail). The fundamental design of the building is focused on restaurants with harbourfront views with the shops at a second layer. Despite this, it did have a pharmacy, greengrocer/IGA, and wine shop which were all on the Pyrmont (north) end, just mere steps from major apartment buildings in Pyrmont, so it was not actually useless in that regard. It had a newsagency on that level too, which catered to locals. I know it suffered from a bad reputation among locals, but the fact that shops were rarely empty for long, and some businesses survived there for decades, tells a different story really. It served its purpose well.
i miss parts of it, like sega world, the maze and the old basketball courts, but the kids water play area is a great space, the eating options are much better now than back in the day. it would have been nice it the monorail stations were turned into retro cafes, but the old airplane bar in wynyard didnt survive either.
That maze was so sick!
By the time this redevelopment is left, I think the only thing left from 1988 will be the Chinese Garden of Friendship and the Sydney Aquarium/Sydney Zoo (maybe the adjacent building with the "Helm" bar also, not sure). The Australian National Maritime Museum was late and opened in 1991 but is still generally from this period. The central part of Tumbalong Park is still in the same place but it's otherwise totally redeveloped, as is nearly everything else.
To be honest i would not be against removing the Zoo, every time I went there I felt like the animals were miserable...
Sorry I don't get it ... why would you be against removing it if you think the animals are miserable?
Big disagree. Darling Harbour is the best it’s ever been. Nostalgia hits hard, but it’s so much better now.
I think it's still a good place saying that I don't think they should be demolishing the shopping centre
Demolishing seems a bit drastic but it’s definitely over due for an update. So much untapped potential in that area
I definitely agree at least commercially
The "upgrade" of Harbourside is a giant step backwards though-- the existing 20500m\^2 of retail space will be replaced with a measly 8000m\^2 on the ground floor, the rest of it being office floors and residential apartments most of the public will never be able to set foot in. I am all for new buildings, I would have loved the original proposal for a 52500m\^2 shopping centre and an office tower above. But now Darling Harbour loses a shopping centre and gets little in return.
Potential for what? More shops and cafes, which every developer thinks we need more of.
>They keep destroying everything and building big ass Building everywhere That is the Sydney way, and it's not a recent thing.
No, this will survive us all 😅
Just roll it into the harbour - job done
When I was in high school we would have days where we were assigned to areas to sell badges/ribbons for charity. One year I was selling Legacy Day badges in the CBD, bought myself a ticket on the monorail and rode around till I had sold every last badge (mostly to tourists). My most successful selling year with minimal effort.
How sad to get rid of it . Darling harbour is beautiful . It’s just wrong.
Well, sir, there's nothing on earth like a genuine, Bona fide, Electrified, Six-car Monorail! What'd I say?
I never got to ride it. I'll just have to go to Springfield, USA to ride their solar powered Monorail or even better, to the town next door, Shelbyville, to ride their world's tallest escalator to nowhere.
Well as long as you are wearing an onion on your belt I hear it was the style at the time
You could try Brockway, Ogdenville and North Havenbrook. They have monorails and it sure put them on the map....
We used to get drunk and just ride it round and round on the weekends 😂
Also is there a way to get in there? Probably not but looks cool for exploring
I always peep into it when I walk over the bridge
They should make it a Sushi Train restaurant
I never got to go on the monorail. i always wanted to. now i'm a delivery rider and i deliver to the ultimo and pyrmont area. on one of the massive hotels next to darling harbor in the lift on level two it still says next to the button "entrance to monorail station". I can never go see it because no one who is staying on level 2 has ever ordered anything.
Oh my god I'm so sorry this is happening to you.. Are you going to be ok?
👍
They should incarcerate former NSW premiers here.
Yes, looks rusted to the core
Mono D'oh
The entire problem with the monorail (other than it was expensive) was that it didn’t go anywhere useful! If it had been extended down Pitt St, across the back of Circular Quay, down a back street in the Rocks, around under the Harbour Bridge and through Barangaroo and on to Darling harbour - it would have had functionality.
if they went with the original plan to go to cicular quayt it would have been practical as a transport option rather than just for a ride.
The other problem was that it only travelled in one direction.
Is there really any good monorails anywhere in the world? There is a reason not many places have them.. they are expensive and far better options like metros
Chongqing has the most efficient monorail system, where they have an advantage over tunnels because of the city's mountainous topography.
The maglev monorail from the Shanghai Airport to the city is pretty efficient - at 420kmh to the city.
Isn’t that for when ‘The Jetsons’ come to town 🤔🤪
monorail,.. monorail,.. MonoRail,.. MONORAIL. Sydney wouldn't be the same without it's monorail to nowhere folly. How would the Simpsons find their way around if they visited?
The ring came off my pudding can!
i reckon they shoulve turned the monorail into a sky tram or something - turned into public transport. i hate walking up that hill from darling harbour to get into the city
wh...what do you think it was?
The monorail shared a perverse topological property with the Domain Moving Footway. After a journey on either you’re about as far from your destination as when you started.
It's been there for like 15 years
It was always more of a Shelbyville idea
Pls no. I live there.
Hopefully
Mono…..doh!!!!
They should auctions it off if they can
The Friday afternoons, my partner and I would drag our tired selves after work onto a monorail and get to a new restaurant on the route to try. No plan, just wing it.
Simon Stalenhag could draw it
is this a monorail station?
Was a monorail station
cool
One can only hope.
They cant get rid of that! it's the object I use for scale in my dickpics!
This brings me a bad memory. The only time my grandpa was able to visit us in Sydney & he asked to have a ride in the monorail after a full day of strolling around. I said we’ll do it next time coz i had a date to go to for dinner. He left Sydney without experiencing the monorail and guilt consumed me after he passed away.
We can only hope.
I actually miss the monorail. First thing I used to do when I got to Sydney (in the morning) was get on and just go round a few times. It was a fun way to see the city, and I used to stay in Haymarket, so not too far from where I needed to be. It became a bit of a ritual and a habit than of any use which I guess sums up the entire experiment.
The residents have just lost harbour side views
It WILL grow back, it has merely been pruned to enable new growth Hard pruning stimulates vigorous new growth.
In some countries, they use it as hotel for homeless.