Port Jackson Lake

Port Jackson is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia, an extensive inlet of the Tasman Sea that contains Sydney Harbour and several smaller bays and peninsulas. It is internationally known for its harbour bridges, ferry network and the location of the Sydney Opera House and adjacent waterfront precincts.

The harbour is used for commercial shipping, regular ferry services, recreational boating and large public events such as New Year’s fireworks; the central waterfront around Circular Quay and The Rocks is a primary arrival point for visitors. Major built features include the Sydney Opera House on Bennelong Point and the Sydney Harbour Bridge which spans the harbour entrance.

European settlement on Port Jackson began with the arrival of the British fleet under Governor Arthur Phillip in 1788, when Sydney Cove on the southern shore became the site of the first colonial settlement. Since then the harbour has been progressively developed with wharves, bridges and waterfront urbanisation while retaining important maritime uses.

The harbour sits within metropolitan Sydney in New South Wales and forms the city’s central waterway. The central business district lies on the southern shore of Port Jackson and numerous suburban and parkland waterfronts surround the inlet.

• Usage: The harbour contains numerous bays, headlands and islands and is used extensively for ferry services, recreational boating and major public events.
• Best views: Iconic viewpoints include the waterfront around Circular Quay and vantage points from the north shore in Milsons Point and Kirribilli which frame views of the bridge and the Opera House.

What to See#

• Sydney Opera House: An iconic performing-arts venue on Bennelong Point at the edge of the harbour, recognised for its sail-like white shells and listed as a World Heritage site.
• Sydney Harbour Bridge: A steel-arch bridge completed in 1932 that spans the harbour and links the central business district with the North Shore, carrying road, rail and pedestrian traffic.
• Circular Quay: The ferry and waterfront hub on the northern edge of the central business district that provides passenger ferry services across the harbour and to surrounding suburbs.

Port Jackson is Sydney Harbour; access from Sydney CBD is immediate. From Circular Quay you can reach many harbour viewpoints and wharves by Sydney Ferries (Circular Quay is the main hub), and driving access across the harbour is via the Bradfield Highway and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Ferry wharves and waterfront promenades are generally a short walk (a few minutes) from Circular Quay and other CBD stops.

• Use Circular Quay as your primary access point-ferries, trains and buses converge there and it's the most direct route to multiple harbour viewpoints and cruises.
• For quieter, framed views of both the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, head to Milsons Point/Bradleys Head on the North Shore rather than the busy foreshore around Circular Quay.
• If you want skyline photos with fewer people in them, take a short ferry ride (e.g., to Manly) or walk the foreshore paths west toward Mrs Macquarie's Chair at sunrise when the harbour is at its calmest.