Pyrmont is an inner-city suburb of Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

, in the state of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. Pyrmont is located 2 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district

Sydney central business district

The Sydney central business district is the main commercial centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It extends southwards for about 3 kilometres from Sydney Cove, the point of first European settlement. Its north–south axis runs from Circular Quay in the north to Central railway station in...

 in the local government area of the City of Sydney

City of Sydney

The City of Sydney is the Local Government Area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, Australia...

. It is also part of the Darling Harbour

Darling Harbour, New South Wales

Darling Harbour is a locality of the city centre of Sydney, Australia. It is a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central business district. The locality extends northwards from Chinatown, along both sides of Cockle Bay to King Street...

 region.

Pyrmont was once a vital component of Sydney's industrial waterfront, with wharves, shipbuilding yards, factories and woolstores. As industry moved out, the population and the area declined. In recent years it has experienced redevelopment with an influx of residents and office workers.

History

Pyrmont contained a mineral spring of cold water bubbling out of a rock and was thus named for a similar natural spring in Bad Pyrmont

Bad Pyrmont

-External links:* * -Multimedia:*...

, close to Hanover

Hanover

Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. The area was also the site of the first Presbyterian Church in the colony, built in 1864 and situated in Mount Street. The congregation eventually outgrew the premises and had to move to a new church at Quarry Street, Ultimo.

Aboriginal culture

Before European settlement the Eora tribe of Indigenous Australians inhabited the area. Their Aboriginal name for this area was 'Pirrama', which is still the name of a road on the Pyrmont waterfront.

European settlement

Thomas Jones was granted 55 acres (22.3 ha) of land on the peninsula in 1795. Land was sold to Obadiah Ikin in 1796 for 10 pounds, which he then sold to Captain John Macarthur

John MacArthur

John MacArthur may refer to:* John Macarthur , Australian wool industry pioneer and Rum Rebel* John McArthur, Jr. , American architect* John McArthur , Union general during the American Civil War...

 in 1799 for a gallon of rum. Pyrmont quarries provided sandstone for many of Sydney's 19th century buildings. The first Pyrmont Bridge opened in 1858. A larger bridge with a swinging span opened in 1902.

Pyrmont became a working class industrial and port community. A major sugar refinery was operated by CSR Limited

CSR Limited

CSR Limited is a major Australian industrial company, producing aluminium and building products. It is publicly traded on the Australian Securities Exchange. In 2009, it has approximately 10,000 employees and during a period of a major cyclical downturn the company made an after-tax profit of...

. In 1900 the area had a population of around 30,000.

Decay

It was considered to be a slum area in the 19th century.

Pyrmont started to decay after World War II, when industries closed down, and the residents moved to the suburbs. In 1963 the Ultimo Powerhouse closed down as well. Its population declined to only 1,800 by 1978.

By 1991 the population had dropped to around 900.

Redevelopment in the 1990s

In order to rejuvenate the area the government initiated the Better Cities Program. In 1992 the City West Development Corporation has been created with the mission to renew the precinct. In 1999 this responsibility has been transferred to the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority

Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority

The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority is a statutory authority set up by the Government of New South Wales in order to maintain the Port Jackson foreshore area. It maintains 4 km² of waterfront real estate in the foreshore area including Darling Harbour and The Rocks...

.

This led to a larger community of 13,000 by 2004 and also an increase of trade with businesses moving back into the area, totalling 22,000 employees. Almost all industrial function is gone from the area now, replaced by low and high-rise residential developments. .

Following the redevelopment the suburb became more multicultural, with only 35% of residents born in Australia, followed by 8% born in China.

Landmarks

Pyrmont Fire Station in Pyrmont Street was designed by the Government Architect, Walter Liberty Vernon

Walter Liberty Vernon

Walter Liberty Vernon was an English architect who migrated to the state of New South Wales, Australia and pursued his career as an architect in Sydney...

, in 1907. It is an example of the Federation Free Style, predominantly made of brick with sandstone trimmings, and with Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...

 elements. It is now on the Register of the National Estate

Register of the National Estate

The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...

.

The public school in John Street was designed by W.E.Kemp and built in 1891; a brick building, it features a bell tower, belfry and slate roof, and is on the Register of the National Estate.

Union Square is a major heritage precinct. It includes the Post Office in Harris Street, the Harlequin Inn pub, two bank buildings in Union Street, the homes from 4-20 Union Street, all buildings from 99-125 Harris Street, the terrace from 135-141 Harris Street and terraces from 1-21 Paternoster Row. All of these buildings are listed on the Register of the National Estate. Also on the Register is the Waite and Bull building at 137 Pyrmont Bridge Road.

Commercial areas

The Star casino dominates the Darling Harbour waterfront of Pyrmont and the Sydney Fish Market

Sydney Fish Market

The Sydney Fish Market is a commercial enterprise in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Sydney Fish Market is located on Blackwattle Bay, in the Inner West suburb of Pyrmont. It is 2 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...

 is located on Blackwattle Bay. Jacksons Landing is a residential and commercial property development located on the northern part of the peninsula.

Pyrmont is home to the headquarters of several corporations including Vodafone

Vodafone

Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...

, Nokia

Nokia

Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...

 Australia, Fairfax Media

Fairfax Media

Fairfax Media Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The group's operations include newspapers, magazines, radios and digital media operating in Australia and New Zealand. Fairfax Media was founded by the Fairfax family as John Fairfax and Sons, later to become John...

, Accenture

Accenture

Accenture plc is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company headquartered in Dublin, Republic of Ireland. It is the largest consulting firm in the world and is a Fortune Global 500 company. As of September 2011, the company had more than 236,000 employees across...

 Australia, Google

Google

Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...

  the Network Ten

Network Ten

Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...

 studios, the Seven Network

Seven Network

The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...

 production studios and radio stations Nova 96.9

Nova 96.9

Nova 96.9 is a commercial radio station operating in Sydney, Australia, owned by the DMG Radio Network.-History:One of the driving forces behind the creation of Nova was the growing demographic of youth who were embracing the commercialised anti-pop movement fronted by such artists as Daft Punk...

, Classic Rock 95.3, 2GB

2GB

2GB is a commercial radio station in Sydney, Australia broadcasting on 873 kHz, AM. It is one of Australia's most popular talk-back radio stations, and is the number one station in Sydney.-History:The station commenced broadcasting in August 1926...

 and 2SM

2SM

2SM is an Australian radio station, licensed to and serving Sydney, New South Wales, broadcasting on 1269 kilohertz on the AM band. It is owned and operated by Broadcast Operations Group...

.

Transport

Pyrmont is linked to the city by the Pyrmont Bridge

Pyrmont Bridge

The Pyrmont Bridge is a swing bridge over Cockle Bay in Darling Harbour in Sydney, Australia.-History and description:The first Pyrmont Bridge was opened on 17 March 1858, and was a wooden pile bridge with a iron centre swing span...

, used only by pedestrians and by the Sydney Monorail

Sydney Monorail

The Metro Monorail is a single-loop Von Roll MkIII monorail in the city of Sydney, Australia, that connects Darling Harbour, Chinatown and the Sydney central business and shopping districts. There are eight stations on 3.6 km of track, with four trains operating simultaneously...

 which runs between the city and nearby Darling Harbour. The Anzac Bridge

ANZAC Bridge

The ANZAC Bridge or Anzac Bridge , replacing the earlier Glebe Island Bridge, is a large cable-stayed bridge spanning Johnstons Bay between Pyrmont and Glebe Island in proximity to the central business district of Sydney, Australia...

, which replaced the Glebe Island Bridge, is a large cable-stayed bridge

Cable-stayed bridge

A cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....

 spanning Johnstons Bay between Pyrmont and Rozelle

Rozelle, New South Wales

Rozelle is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 4 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....

.

Pyrmont is also served by State Transit

State Transit Authority of New South Wales

The State Transit Authority of New South Wales is an agency of the Government of New South Wales based in Sydney, Australia operating bus and ferry services. The STA is part of transport minister Gladys Berejiklian's portfolio...

 buses, Sydney Ferries

Sydney Ferries

Sydney Ferries is an agency of the New South Wales Government Department of Transport, providing ferry services on Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River in Sydney, Australia....

 and Metro Light Rail

Metro Light Rail

The Metro Light Rail is the only currently operating light rail line in Sydney. The line opened on 31 August 1997, mostly along the route of an unused goods railway line, to serve the redeveloped inner-city areas of Darling Harbour, Ultimo and Pyrmont, and was extended in 2000 to serve some of...

. There are four light rail stations in Pyrmont at Pyrmont Bay, Star City, John Street Square and the Sydney Fish Market.

External links

• From heaven to hell in one easy walk
• Paradise, Purgatory and Hellhole: a history of Pyrmont and Ultimo
• Ultimo + Pyrmont a decade of renewal 1874 and 1912 were years of the Tiger