Quick Details
- A thoroughly researched guided tour of Sydney with a local architect
- A focus on contemporary architecture, public art and public spaces
- Named as one of the world’s top ten architecture tours by The Guardian UK
- Named as one of the world’s top five architecture tours by The Sydney Morning Herald
Duration: 3 hours
Early Bird
A$ 49
General
A$ 59
Concession
A$ 49
Tour Details.
Getting beyond the postcard view of the city and its two shimmering icons, ‘Harbourings’ reveals Sydney at her rawest and most spectacular, her most self–conscious and most corrupt!
Join us on this stroll around Sydney’s spectacular harbour edge, from Circular Quay, through the city’s great depository of memory – The Rocks – up Observatory Hill and on to Walsh Bay. The route is diverse, spectacular and full of surprising recent projects as well as gritty historical reminders of the cities industrial and maritime past.
Beginning with Circular Quay where the powerful forces of commerce are held back from the harbour by a bland concrete motorway, we will discuss Opera House architect Jørn Utzon’s driving ideas for Sydney as well as his vision for the Quay. We will wander discuss controversial additions to the Museum of Contemporary Art and you will discover Sydney’s brutalist masterpiece, the radical Sirius Apartment building by Tao Gofers currently being reimagined by BVN.
As we explore the area we will pluck out some surprising contemporary gems in The Rocks and Millers Point before descending on the breath-taking Walsh Bay Finger Wharves, a family of early 20th-Century industrial buildings that extend out into Sydney’s harbour. They are amongst the largest timber structures ever built, romantic symbols of Sydney’s industrial maritime history that have been reimagined as a cultural and residential precinct.
Meeting Point.
Customs House (forecourt). 31 Alfred St, Sydney – 1 minute walk from Circular Quay Station.
What Else.
- If you have a Gift Card, click “Apply gift card” in the booking window.
- Please arrive 10min prior to departure.
- Tours depart rain or shine so dress for the weather! A sun hut and sunscreen is always a good idea in Sydney.
Almost but not quite?
Does this tour almost meet your needs, but you would like to customise a few options?
Email us at [email protected]
SAW is a member of Guiding Architects, the international network for high-quality architecture tours.