The Port of Sydney is the capital of the state of New South Wales in Australia. It’s located on the country’s southeastern coast. Not only is it Australia’s largest city, it’s one of the most important ports in the South Pacific.
Port History
Captain James Cook named Port Jackson, but he did not explore it. Arthur Phillip arrived there in 1788 and found the port to be perhaps the finest harbor in the world, being both secure and deep. He established a settlement in what he called Sydney Cove, and it’s still the city’s heart though known as Circular Quay today.
Early Sydney was a penal colony, and the convicts there found it a difficult environment. Later, conflict was common between convicts, free settlers, and the colony’s governors. To encourage growth, Britain offered free convict labor, free land, and free capital works. They also promised markets for the colony’s produce. This lead quickly to trade links with the rest of the world.
From 1810 to 1821, the Port of Sydney evolved from a penal settlement to a prosperous town. Between 1850 and 1880, the Port of Sydney grew rapidly from 60 to 400 thousand people. Population doubled again by 1914 and reached one million shortly. But due to the gold rush of the 1850s, Melbourne grew faster and became the financial center and capital of the Commonwealth of Australia until 1927.
After World War II, the Port of Sydney was again the country’s largest city, and it benefited from the shift in trade from Britain to North America. The Port of Sydney has surpassed Melbourne’s position as the financial, commercial, and manufacturing center of Australia. Despite being plagued with traffic, pollution, and crime, it’s the most sophisticated and international of all Australian cities. It was the site of the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Port Commerce
Sydney Ports Corporation operates the city’s port and Botany Bay. It manages and develops port facilities, facilitates trade, maintains safety for commercial shipping, protects the port environment, and supports business growth.
During the first eight months of the 2007/2008 financial year, 20.2 million tons of cargo moved through the Port of Sydney, including over one million TEUs of containers. Non-containerized traffic represented almost half of all trade, with almost 10 million tons of cargo. Container imports were dominated by East Asia, Europe, and Southeast Asia. The leading containerized exports were chemical products, transport equipment, machinery, and manufactures. The five largest export destinations were New Zealand, Australia, the USA, China, and Singapore.
Cruising and Travel
The Port of Sydney is an important cruise ship destination, and it’s the only Australian port with two cruise-passenger terminals -- the Overseas Passenger Terminal and the Circular Quay and Wharf 8 Darling Harbour Passenger Terminal. The cruise season lasts from November to April. During the 2006/2007 season, about 200 thousand cruise passengers arrived in the Port of Sydney on over 25 cruise ship lines. The Port of Sydney posts its cruise schedule on the Internet.
The Port of Sydney is a favorite destination of world travelers. Almost three-quarters of all tourists who go to Australia visit the Port of Sydney. It received 2.5 million international guests and 7.8 domestic visitors in 2004. Favorite attractions include the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, the Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney Tower, Luna Park, and many beautiful beaches.
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