Seafood lovers can snap up the catch of the day while sipping on a glass of white wine and appreciating a breathtaking harbour view at Sydney’s new fish markets.
Spanning 26,000 square metres, punters will be able to enjoy the fruits of the sea from dozens of retailers in a state-of-the-art facility that cost more than $836 million.
Premier Chris Minns boasted the decade-long project opened on Monday was “the biggest and best fish market in the world” and would cater to local families and tourists alike.
“Whether you’re coming here for caviar or crab sticks … this place will have something for everybody,” he said as he officially opened the massive building housing fishmongers and producers.
“It’s a wonderful addition to the city’s landscape.”
He also joked that, with state-of-the-art refrigeration systems, the stink will be a lot less.
The centrepiece of the new site, which Planning Minister Paul Scully described as an “architectural marvel”, is the 200-metre-long roof with its floating canopy.
It boasts 400 light fixtures that will light up Sydney’s skyline in the shape of fish scales.
Approximately six million people a year are expected to pack the waterfront market to the gills, located not far from the city centre.
The markets’ chief executive said the new building was fit for purpose for a critical industry.
“Seafood is an essential part of our Australian life … central to our celebrations, our summers and our cultural traditions of who we are as a coastal nation,” Daniel Jarosch said.
The building features live crustacean tanks and a brand-new auction room, both visible to the public.
Fred Holt, the director of building designer 3XN, said the public was key to breathing life into the seafood industry.
“We have turned an introverted industry inside out, putting the back-of-house operations on display and making the theatrics and intense choreography of seafood trading and movement part of the public experience,” he said.
The new market – a stone’s throw from the old site on Blackwattle Bay – was initially slated to open in 2023 and to cost $250 million.
But it was beset by myriad delays, and costs more than tripled.
The opposition claimed credit for commissioning the world-class waterfront destination project in 2017.
“This project was started thanks to the clear vision and ambition of the former NSW Liberal and Nationals government, and it is fantastic to see it open its doors today,” leader Kellie Sloane said on Monday.
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