Sydney has officially opened its new AUD eight hundred million fish market at Blackwattle Bay, a sprawling 26,000-square-metre waterfront precinct that state leaders are promoting as a transformative destination for both locals and international visitors.

The market, inaugurated on January nineteenth after years of planning and construction delays, replaces the decades-old facility and is expected to more than double annual visitor numbers to over six million, enhancing the city’s tourism economy and solidifying Sydney’s status as a premier global harbour city.

The development has been described by the New South Wales Government as one of the most significant waterfront projects in recent memory.

The new Sydney Fish Market brings wholesale seafood trading together with expanded retail and dining experiences under one striking architectural roof, hosting more than forty food and retail operators alongside nineteen seafood wholesalers.

It features state-of-the-art facilities including a publicly visible auction room, ice-making systems producing more than fifty thousand kilograms of ice daily, live crustacean tanks and purpose-built temperature-controlled zones for diverse seafood categories.

These enhancements are designed to support Australia’s seafood industry while offering visitors immersive access to fresh, local produce and culinary experiences.

The precinct also introduces significant public domain improvements, including six thousand square metres of accessible waterfront space with art installations, water play features and a scenic promenade connecting to wider foreshore walkways.

Additional transport infrastructure, such as new light rail services and upgrades to nearby transit stops, is expected to support visitor access and urban connectivity.

The site’s urban renewal plan will see the former market location at Blackwattle Bay repurposed for up to fourteen hundred new waterfront homes and extensive public space, completing a fifteen-kilometre continuous foreshore walk from Rozelle Bay to Woolloomooloo.

Public enthusiasm was evident on opening day, with crowds flocking to the new facility amid strong early demand.

State officials and market leadership have welcomed the market as a major boost to Sydney’s hospitality, seafood and tourism sectors, reinforcing local pride while presenting Sydney as a world-class harbourfront destination.

The facility’s design, integrating modern amenities with expansive public engagement spaces, marks a new era for one of Australia’s iconic cultural and economic hubs.