Sydney Fish Market
April 23rd 2007 05:12
Category: Guides
After the auction, though, the Fish Market is markedly more sedated. On the weekend, its quite a pleasant place to go for lunch several seafood vendors sell fresh shellfish and crustaceans, or even a platter of Barramundi fish and chips and Wentworth Park is just opposite the market.
Originally called Blackwattle Swamp, the area that the Fish Market now sits on was a tidal flat, an undesirable piece of land that was used for abattoirs and boilers from the 1830s onwards. Noxious fumes hovered over the brackish water and the only nearby residents were the woolstore occupants on Wattle Street. In the 1860s, the city removed these polluting institutions from the area, but years of neglect and misuse caused foul odours to emanate from the mud.
In 1876, the city wisely decided to fill in the swamp. The explosive wave of immigrants to Australia required housing near the city center, and Blackwattle Bay could be made habitable, if the air were to be purged of the smells of industry and decay. Indeed, many wealthy families had stately manors in nearby Glebe, and the property around the Fish Market was increasing in value. The city built Wentworth Park in 1882 on the reclaimed land, officially making the area desirable once again.
The Fish Market was originally in Haymarket, along with all the other large markets at the time. At the time, all seafood in NSW had to be released through the Chief Secretarys department, and the site in Haymarket was the authority in Sydney.
In 1966, the market moved to its current location in Blackwattle Bay.
Squid for Sale!
The Sydney Fish Market has international exposure as one of the most varied fish markets in the world, and is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Its functions are not limited to selling fish, however. The site claims itself to be an entertaining and stimulating harbourside experience.
[size=4]Theres something deeply satisfying[\size] about watching the fishing boats transfer their catch to the market after a day at sea. Perhaps it speaks to some ancient sense of nostalgia on this very site, thousands of years ago, the Eora Aboriginal tribes lived off the sea, dragging their catch onto the shore. Australia has always fed the people that have lived here with the fruits of the sea, and after so many years, its incredible that the sea continues to provide.
While the cost of seafood has rocketed through the roof, the Fish Market provides an easy-to-find, accessible opening into the salty world of harbours, fishing boats and seafood.
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