Darling Harbour 10 years ago 十年前的情人港

Being one of the main entertainment district in Sydney CBD, Darling Harbour would obviously need to stand out from the rest of the city, especially at night. Although major attractions such as the Aquarium or the Sydney Wildlife Park would have closed for the night, the area is still bustling with tourists seeking night life, in one of the many restaurants and bars. Throughout the years, the Darling Harbour have undergone massive transformations as the City Council strived make it into a world class destination. It is therefore very interesting to look back at these pictures that was taken almost 10 years ago.

情人港是悉尼市中心的重要景点，从早到晩为游人提供各式各类的娱乐设施。入夜后，虽然那些像悉尼水族馆和悉尼野生动物馆等大型景点早就关门，情人港还是游人如织，也有很多不同类型的餐馆和酒吧给游人选择。多年来，因为悉尼市政府的努力，情人港已被打造成一个国际化的景点。而情人港的样貌也改变了许多。让我们来看一下情人港差不多十年前的夜景吧！

Darling Harbour Night View, looking towards Barangaroo
情人港往Barangaroo 方向的夜景

At the time, the Sydney Monorail still existed. With a rail track going across the Pyrmont bridge, the monorail used to serve curious tourists, taking them from Darling Harbour to as far as China Town. However, the fact that it was $5.50 one way with no air-con proved too pricey even for tourists, and the rail was taken down in 2013.

那时候，情人港还有架空单轨铁路。路轨经过Pyrmont 行人桥，把游客从情人港带到中国城，途中可以欣赏情人港的景色。可是单程票需要澳元五块半，这价钱去坐没有空调的旧列车还是太昂贵了。因为没办法吸引游客，单轨铁路在2013年被拆除。

Pyrmont Bridge with Monorail in the middle
Pyrmont 桥上的单轨铁路

You can see the light trial marked by a monorail train in this picture
可以在这张图看到单轨列车划出的光迹

Another building that is now history is the IMAX theatre. Located at the entrance of the Harbour, IMAX used to capture the imagination of kids and adults alike, offering 3D documentaries and even 3D movies since 1996. I remember watching Transformers 2 at IMAX and it is really something to see Optimus Prime transform in front of you in 3D. However, as 3D movies didn't really catch on as expected, plus nowadays a lot of standard cinemas offers 3D screening at a cheaper price. So IMAX Darling Harbour was closed and demolished in 2016, to make way for a bigger and better cinema complex that is due to be opened again in a couple of years.

在情人港入口的IMAX电影院，早在1999年开始为游客提供3D立体电影，从当初的纪录片到近年的好莱坞大片。我清楚记得我在这里看了〈变形金刚二〉，在大荧幕下看着擎天柱立体变身的确是十分震撼。可惜3D电影并没有像想像中那么流行，而且很多普通电影院现在都可以以更便宜的价格看3D电影。在盈利低迷下，情人港的IMAX逃不过拆迁的命运，在2016年永久关闭并夷平。取而代之的是一栋更大，更多元化的娱乐城和电影院。

East side of the Darling Harbour, with the IMAX building in the foreground
情人港东边，IMAX 电影院

Close up of the IMAX building with the highway above
IMAX影院特写，上面的天桥是主干道

Of course, there are still things that haven’t changed, such the Harbourside Shopping Centre being the central entertainment hub with food choices ranging from food court to high class restaurants, as well as various shops, cinema and bowling clubs that open till late at night.

当然还有很多没有变的地方，例如Harbourside Center仍然是主要商场，商场内外充斥着从快餐店到高级餐厅的各种食肆，还有各种各类的商店，保龄球馆，电影院等，晩上依然灯火通明。

Harbourside Shopping Mall and the Novotel – Photo 1
Harbourside 商场和诺富特酒店

Harbourside Shopping Mall and the Novotel – Photo 1
Harbourside 商场和诺富特酒店 (2)

Harbourside Shopping Mall and the Novotel – Photo 1
Harbourside 商场和诺富特酒店 (3)

Then there is, of course, the view, the amazing night view towards the CBD, as always capturing the heart of travellers and become the favourite backdrop of many selfies and group photos.

还有就是情人港那百看不厌的夜景，永远的吸引着前来的游客，始终是游人们最爱的自拍背景。

View into the CBD
市中心夜景