Travel bucket list idea:
Sydney Fish Market
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Credit Shutterstock.com/ChameleonsEye
Last updated: 24 June, 2023
It’s noisy, crowded and usually smelly, but the Fish Market is a much-loved part of the Sydney culinary scene. The site is home to a retail and wholesale fish market, plus a small working port and excellent seafood cooking school.
Drop in for a plate of sushi, some fresh oysters or piping hot fish n chips. It’s worth the trip just to wander around the kaleidoscopic displays of shellfish, giant tuna and lobsters. These are the dying days of the market – a brand spanking new facility is under construction across the water in Blackwattle Bay; due to open in 2023.
Logistics
Price: Free
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around
Getting there & doing it
Pyrmont is about 15-minutes by cab from the city, but it’s easier to catch the Metro Light Rail from Central Station, Haymarket or Darling Harbour. The Fish Market stop is opposite the main entrance. Train services run every 15 minutes.
Do it alone, or better still book in advance online for a fascinating 1.5-hour behind-the-scenes tour, run Tuesday to Friday. It’s an early start (6.40am), but well worth it; an expert guide will take you around all facets of the market and its operations, including the auction floor, and crab and lobster pen. Book them directly on the official website.
When to do it
Retailers open all year round, seven days a week. Behind-the-scenes tours run 6.40am-8.30am.
