Named after the trailblazing Aboriginal leader...
who defended her community in the era of colonialism, Barangaroo was always going to be fraught with symbolic difficulty.
This harbourside district was once indigenous land – then it was industrial land – and now it is well on its way to becoming a tourist destination and a culinary heartland of Sydney.
By all accounts, the project is going well. One Barangaroo glimmers impressively on the skyline, and the newly opened waterfront buzzes every day with the frantic energy of tourists and business-people. Michelin Star restaurants have already moved in here.
But all of this happened against a backdrop of local opposition. Those who live nearby did not want a heaving casino complex on their doorstep, and many are priced out by the sparkling new dining options on the front. And then there is the question of how to marry this imposing leisure district with the indigenous values it is named for.
None of these challenges are being ignored, but they do pose a greater question for Barangaroo: What does success look like here? Already a hit with cruise-ship passengers and expense-happy city workers, Barangaroo is arguably a place that has selected, isolated, and understood its audience.
