Barangaroo South Sustainability Report 2021 - 2023

Pictured: 19th Century shipbuilding 19th century Soon after European colonisation, Sydney Harbour was transformed into a thriving international port, with the first wharves constructed at Walsh Bay and then Millers Point to support the trade of sandalwood, cedar and turtle shell and the burgeoning whaling and sealing industry. The site became the home of Millers Point Gasworks in the 1830s, which provided the first gas lighting to Sydney’s homes and streets for almost a century before the age of electricity dawned that saw the gas works decommissioned in 1921. The above-ground structures were removed by 1925, and remediation works to remove contaminated soil were completed this year. In 1900, in response to the outbreak of the bubonic plague, the NSW Government acquired the entire area to rebuild the wharves and shipping infrastructure for the new century of trade. Government ownership of the wharves led to the formation of a new authority, the Sydney Harbour (Trust), to control and manage shipping, development and housing in the area. Providing adjacent housing for port workers was vital to port operations and became an important role for the Trust. Many streets of Millers Point were rebuilt to accommodate new housing, warehouses and wharves. 20th century In the war years from 1914-1918 and 1939-1945, Barangaroo was a vital link in the logistics chain, with essential war materials stored and shipped from the site. During the Great Depression, Hickson Road was known as ‘The Hungry Mile’ in reference to the queues of men searching for casual wharf work. In the 1960s, the shift to shipping containers as a new method to accommodate large-scale international trade saw the older finger wharves demolished and a new concrete apron built to house shipping containers, a landmark that still defines the footprint or area today. By the end of the century, global changes to shipping and logistics along with new technologies rendered the site no longer viable for container shipping, which progressively relocated to Port Botany. 21st century In 2005, the NSW Government announced that the site would be transformed into a new urban precinct. An international urban design competition was held, informing the development of a Concept Plan guiding the renewal. The site, then known as ‘East Darling Harbour’, became the subject of a state-wide competition in 2006 to find a new name for the site, and Barangaroo was selected from more than 1,600 entries. In 2009, Lendlease won the tender to develop Barangaroo South.   14 Sustainability Report 2021–23 Barangaroo South SHAPING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE