The Hungry Mile
Encyclopedia
The Hungry Mile is the name harbourside workers gave to the docklands area of Darling Harbour East, in Sydney
, New South Wales
, Australia
in the Great Depression
. Workers would walk from wharf to wharf in search of a job, often failing to find one.
The area was officially known as Millers Point
and as part of urban renewal plans, the Government of New South Wales
reviewed the name in 2006. The Maritime Union of Australia
campaigned to renew the "Hungry Mile" name, as an acknowledgement of the site's historical significance to waterside workers. A public competition was held but the name Barangaroo
was selected for the new suburb and officially gazetted in 2007. The name honours Barangaroo
, an important indigenous woman from Sydney's early history who was a powerful and colourful figure in the colonisation of Australia. She was also the wife of Bennelong
, another important indigenous figure after whom Bennelong Point is named, the site of the Sydney Opera House
. A section of Barangaroo, Hickson Road between the Munn Street overbridge and the Napoleon Street intersection, was officially designated the Hungry Mile in 2009.
determined that this site should be renewed as an extension of the Sydney CBD with a significant new foreshore park providing recreational areas for a growing Sydney population
. This area is being redeveloped into a recreational, business and shopping precinct.
There is also ongoing debate regarding the design and size of waterfront developments. The City of Sydney Council and some architectural bodies have expressed concern that the proposed designs will be out of scale with the surrounding environment, as well as causing large unwanted shadows over the immediate area, parts of Darling Harbour and possibly nearby Pyrmont
. Concerns were also expressed by the Danish urban planner Professor Jan Gehl
, who warned that large undivided parks would become "fearsome at night".
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...
, 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...
in the Great Depression
Great Depression in Australia
Australia suffered badly during the period of the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. As in other nations, Australia suffered years of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging incomes, and...
. Workers would walk from wharf to wharf in search of a job, often failing to find one.
The area was officially known as Millers Point
Millers Point, New South Wales
Millers Point is an urban locality within Sydney's city centre, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Millers Point is located on the north-western edge of the Sydney central business district, adjacent to The Rocks and is part of the local government area of the City of Sydney.Millers Point...
and as part of urban renewal plans, the Government of New South Wales
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
reviewed the name in 2006. The Maritime Union of Australia
Maritime Union of Australia
The Maritime Union of Australia covers waterside workers, seafarers, port workers, professional divers, and office workers associated with Australian ports. As of 2011 the union has about 13,000 members. It is an affiliate of the International Transport Workers' Federation and represents the...
campaigned to renew the "Hungry Mile" name, as an acknowledgement of the site's historical significance to waterside workers. A public competition was held but the name Barangaroo
Barangaroo, New South Wales
Barangaroo is an inner-city area of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the north-western edge of the Sydney central business district and the southern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge...
was selected for the new suburb and officially gazetted in 2007. The name honours Barangaroo
Barangaroo
Barangaroo was the second wife of Bennelong, who was interlocutor between the Aboriginal people and the early British colonists in New South Wales. Barangaroo was a member of the Cammeray clan...
, an important indigenous woman from Sydney's early history who was a powerful and colourful figure in the colonisation of Australia. She was also the wife of Bennelong
Bennelong
Woollarawarre Bennelong was a senior man of the Eora, an Aboriginal people of the Port Jackson area, at the time of the first British settlement in Australia, in 1788...
, another important indigenous figure after whom Bennelong Point is named, the site of the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. A section of Barangaroo, Hickson Road between the Munn Street overbridge and the Napoleon Street intersection, was officially designated the Hungry Mile in 2009.
Redevelopment
As stevedoring operations moved to ports at Port Botany and Port Kembla, the Government of New South WalesGovernment of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
determined that this site should be renewed as an extension of the Sydney CBD with a significant new foreshore park providing recreational areas for a growing Sydney population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
. This area is being redeveloped into a recreational, business and shopping precinct.
There is also ongoing debate regarding the design and size of waterfront developments. The City of Sydney Council and some architectural bodies have expressed concern that the proposed designs will be out of scale with the surrounding environment, as well as causing large unwanted shadows over the immediate area, parts of Darling Harbour and possibly nearby Pyrmont
Pyrmont, New South Wales
Pyrmont is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Pyrmont is located 2 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
. Concerns were also expressed by the Danish urban planner Professor Jan Gehl
Jan Gehl
Jan Gehl is a Danish architect and urban design consultant based in Copenhagen and whose career has focused on improving the quality of urban life by re-orienting city design towards the pedestrian and cyclist.-Biography:...
, who warned that large undivided parks would become "fearsome at night".