Background

Ferry services to the Darling Harbour precinct were originally serviced by the Darling Harbour Aquarium wharf. This was the only wharf to service Darling Harbour until Pyrmont Bay was opened in the early 2000s.^{[nb 1]} In 2007, the Walker Report recommended a new ferry terminal at Darling Harbour be built to ease congestion on the network, especially at Circular Quay.^[1] The wharf was to be situated at the Darling Harbour wharf, and services to the Aquarium wharf, 250 metres to the east, phased out.^{[nb 2]} Thus Darling Harbour wharf, which was a stop on the Parramatta River service, was chosen as a site for a new terminal. The Aquarium wharf continued to operate as part of Darling Harbour ferry services until 10 October 2010, when as part of a new timetable change all Sydney Ferries services were diverted to Darling Harbour.

The Barangaroo area, which had been a derelict port for years, had been a long-proposed site for urban renewal. Following proposals put forward by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and reviews by the O'Farrell State Government, major construction and redevelopment at Barangaroo began in 2011.^[3] In May 2013, the State Government outlined plans to build a new terminal at Barangaroo to replace Darling Harbour.^[4] As well as allowing for additional services on the F3 Paramatta River route, the increased capacity will allow other routes, such as a then-envisioned potential extension of the F7 Eastern Suburbs route, to also use the new wharves.^[5] It was proposed that all Sydney Ferries routes that used the Darling Harbour wharf will be rerouted to Barangaroo, with Darling Harbour to be decommissioned and handed back to private operation.^[6]

Construction

Pre-construction activities at the site of the wharf at Barangaroo South in April 2015.

Construction was originally scheduled to commence in 2015, with the wharves to open in 2016.^[7] In April 2015, Transport for NSW issued Invitations to Tender to three companies to build the wharves.^[8] A contract was awarded to McConnell Dowell later in September.^[9] Over the time period of the wharf's construction, it has been alleged by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union that over 1,500 incidents concerning worker safety have occurred on the wharf.^[10]

In late February 2017, during the latter stages of the wharf's construction, a worker was killed after being accidentally struck with a metal large header beam while working on a construction barge.^[11][12] The man was killed instantaneously and was declared dead at the scene. An investigation into the incident was initiated by SafeWork NSW and the New South Wales Police Force shortly afterward.^[13] The accident also sparked attention from local and national media, whom emphasised the "tragic" narrative of the incident; the man being married and fathering a 14-month old son at the time of his death.^[10][14] Preliminary investigations found that a metal beam carried by a crane struck a pile of steel beams, causing one to fall off and land on the man's torso, instantly crushing and killing him.^[10]

Opening

The wharf was completed in late June 2017, estimated to have cost $59 million to build overall.^[15] The first ferry to arrive at the wharf, on the morning 26 June 2017, was the MV Fred Hollows, which had entered service onto the Sydney Ferries network as the first Heritage-class ferry, the same day.^[16] The ceremonial first service was attended by Berejiklian and Constance, whom officially opened the wharf upon arrival.^[17] The wharf's opening followed the decommissioning of the nearby Darling Harbour / King Street Wharf 3, with the wharf returning to private hands upon its last Sydney Ferries services on the night of 25 June 2017, with Barangaroo serving as its replacement as intended.^[15] The wharf initially services the F3 Parramatta River and F4 Darling Harbour routes, both from wharf 1 of the complex, while wharf 2 remains closed. Changes to the F3 and F4 timetables also came into effect on 26 June 2017, to accommodate for the opening of Barangaroo and decommissioning of Darling Harbour.^[18]