Things to Do in Darling Harbour: Freebies, Family Fun, and Food

The first thing you need to know about Darling Harbour is that she isn't just any old boat park. Sydney’s darling is a perfect microcosm of the city: a glittering stretch of caerulean water, merging crowds of tourists and locals and more places to get a great meal than you can shake a cocktail at.

Spend a day here and you’ll see everyone from serious business types sneaking out for lunch in the sun to families dangling over piers to spy on seahorse hotels in the harbour.

There are so many things to do in Darling Harbour that you could spend a week in Sydney and never leave the area.

Aside from the annual light and sound spectacle of Vivid, there are over twenty permanent major works of art from one end of Darling Harbour to the other, making a free to see trail that rivals any national gallery.

Start in east Darling Harbour, now known as Barangaroo, with the ‘Shell Wall’ by Esme Timbery that pays homage to the Aboriginal culture of the Eora Nation, an intricate reimagined midden.

Nearby, suspended above Exchange Square in Barangaroo, ‘Mermer Waiskeder: Stories of the Moving Tide’ is made up of hand-stitched eagle rays repurposed from abandoned fishing nets.

Walk south for the rest of the works, including beauties like ‘A Lifetime of Summers’ by Nick Savvas, featuring 9,200 colourful tabs cascading from the roof in the Exchange Building, and the incredible 10 storey mural of Wiradjuri Elder Jenny Munro adorning one side of the Novotel Darling Square.

In Tumbalong Park you’ll find a playground and clean water fountains for kids to splash in, shady picnic spots, and a striking architectural masterpiece that hosts a revolving mainstage of free live music.

Back at the Barangaroo end of Darling Harbour is easily one of the coolest things to do for free in Sydney: swimming in Marrinawi Cove. It’s the only netted, and legal, swimming area in Sydney Harbour, giving you a refreshing dip surrounded by iconic views without being run over by a ferry.

Pro Tip: Bring a towel and some snacks for a post-swim picnic. It’s quieter in the mornings before the day’s crowd rolls in.

Address: Marrinawi Cove, Barangaroo Reserve Sydney NSW 2000

Darling Harbour is easily one of the best Sydney precincts for parents, with an inordinate amount of fun stuff to do with kids. At the southern end of Darling Harbour, the famous Chinese Garden of Friendship has been a pocket of zen in the city for nearly forty years. With free entry for children, the traditional gardens are adorned with delicate waterfalls, koi ponds, and traditional pagodas.

Darling Harbour Playground, on the other hand, was designed for kids with energy to burn. Connecting to Tumbalong Park, it’s a huge, sprawling jungle of climbing nets, slides, and a network of sandstone water features and pumps, especially great for curious toddlers. Cafes and restaurants line two sides of the park so you can grab a coffee under the shade while the little ones wear themselves out.

Further east, at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium kids will find themselves nose-to-nose with graceful rays, neon tropical fish, different types of adorable penguins and a chill dugong named Pig. In the same pierside complex is Wild Life Sydney Zoo, and again it’s amazing how much they manage to pack into what looks like a regular building from the outside. Kangaroos, koalas, freshwater crocodiles - it’s a crash course in Australian wildlife.

Madame Tussauds is tucked between the two, with some spookily uncanny celebrity dupes. Cosy up to Harry Styles, Prince Harry or Taylor Swift, with each waxwork being made to their exact measurements, down to the last freckle.

Pro Tip: You can combine your Wild Life Sydney Zoo, Sea Life Sydney Aquarium and Madame Tussauds tickets and save up to 50 per cent.

Address: 1-5 Wheat Road, Sydney NSW 2000

Darling Quarter and Barangaroo dining is famous for bringing together the best of Sydney’s culinary scene, combining top cheffing talent with unbeatable views.

In Barangaroo, thriving New Orleans-inspired eatery, NOLA Smokehouse and Bar, serves up Cajun and Creole cuisines and has gathered Sydney's largest range of American whiskeys. At the other end of the waterfront, Lal Qila Darling Harbour’s elevated Pakistani menu includes a 2000-year-old recipe for lamb and Roghni Naan fresh out of a tandoor oven.

For something quintessentially Sydney, love.fish is a laid back seafood restaurant with a chic, bright fit-out where you can eat your way through courses of local Sydney Rock Oysters, scallop carpaccio and tuna crudo. If you like your okonomi-temaki and Bang Bang chicken served with a soundtrack, Matt Moran’s jazz kissaten listening bar Rekōdo’s vinyl collection more than delivers.

Pro Tip: Rekōdo hosts a Jukebox Bottomless Brunch every weekend where guests can curate their own playlist.

Address: Rekōdo, Level 1/35 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo NSW 2000

When the sun sets Darling Harbour lights up, it’s where Sydney comes to let its hair down. End your afternoon with a browse through Title, an eclectic art, book, and music shop that offers everything from vinyl records to quirky gifts. Ask the staff for local music recommendations, they live for it.

Darling Harbour also has its own IMAX theatre, with a screen that ranks among the world’s largest. You can upgrade your viewing experience with the Australian-first private box cinema experience. In other big things, see what’s on at the ICC, Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. The line up behind those massive glass walls includes everything from the Les Misérables Arena Spectacular to Bear Grylls.

If you’re out for a boogie, King Street wharf’s Bungalow 8 has agreat view, big balcony, excellent dancefloor, and the rarest thing of all when it comes to most nightclubs - really good food. Five minutes walk away is Cargo Bar, a nightclub staple for more than two decades. Downstairs, beer garden, upstairs balcony: it’s the classic Sydney set up honed to a fine art.

Pro Tip: In a style befitting the glittering precinct, Darling Harbour hosts a free fireworks show that lights up the sky and reflects on the water every single Saturday night. Book a room at the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour to see the spectacle high up, from your private window.

Address: Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, 12 Darling Drive, Sydney NSW 2000

From swimming in the iconic Harbour to making friends with Pig the dugong, eating the best ceviche in your life to a trail of amazing art, the entire precinct is fun and accessible for every age, at any stage.