BY SERENA RENNER 

arling Harbour, on the western side of central Sydney, has long played support act to its sister inlet crowned by the Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. But a new waterfront development known as Barangaroo is changing minds along with the downtown skyline. A derelict shipping port has been transformed into a thriving hive of stylish boutiques, restaurants, and bars. Add new hotels, parks, and in-the-works architecture by the likes of Renzo Piano, and you have the biggest urban renewal project since the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Here, a taste of the new Darling Harbour.

EAT AND DRINK: Inside Barangaroo House — a three-level showpiece resembling a stack of giant bowls brimming with native plants — sate your appetite at Bea restaurant, a testament to native Australian ingredients and wood-fired grilling. Try the charred calamari, doused in chili-ginger dressing. After dark, take in the flaming heat lamps and harbor reflections at Smoke, awarded Time Out’s Best New Bar in 2018. barangaroohouse.com.au

• Banksii, Sydney’s first vermouth bar, takes its name from British botanist Sir Joseph Banks, who surveyed Australia’s plant life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The hot spot features 40 varieties of this botanical-based fortified wine, pouring offerings predominantly from Australia and Italy. After some sampling on the waterfront patio, move on to vermouth-infused cocktails, mussels, kangaroo pie, and trifle. banksii.sydney

• Set beneath the acclaimed modern Australian restaurant 12-Micron, the Shanghai-style street-food eatery Bund opened in July with clever dishes that blend East and West, such as Xinjiang-inspired lamb cutlets. lotusdining.com.au

Read the full story, published in the Fall 2019 issue of Private Clubs magazine, as a PDF or online.