Crowds turned away as Sydney’s colossal new fish market finally opens

A silent auction that started as the city slept signalled the start of a new era for Sydney’s seafood enthusiasts from 4am on Monday. Dozens of traders didn’t skip a beat as they bid on some 60 tonnes of fish and crabs inside the glass-walled auction room of the new $836 million Sydney Fish Market.

Hours later, customers gathered outside to be the first through the doors of the retail floor at 7am. By lunchtime, ballooning crowds were told to wait in line or return later as the complex reached its capacity of 5000 patrons and the queue of hopeful customers snaked along Bridge Road in inner-city Glebe.

Premier Chris Minns, opening the building on Monday morning, said Sydney was now home to the “biggest and best fish market in the world”. The state government has touted the new fish market as the third major landmark on Sydney Harbour, joining the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, and expects it will attract more than six million local and international visitors each year.

The long-awaited complex to replace the tired old fish market at Pyrmont was driven by the former Coalition state government and has been characterised by cost blowouts, construction delays, legal squabbles, disagreements with tenants and fishers based at the old site, and financial uncertainty.

स्रोत: Brisbanetimes Com Au