Pirrama Park (Pyrmont)

Pirrama Park is a City of Sydney waterfront park on the tip of the Pyrmont peninsula, built over old harbour wharves and the former Water Police site, and edged by a deep-water promenade along Elizabeth Macarthur Bay. DPIRD's Sydney Harbour guide lists it as a land-based fishing site, and the deep edge along the western side holds the inner-harbour regulars — bream, trevally, tarwhine, luderick and squid, with kingfish and mulloway passing through. It is about as easy as harbour fishing gets — light rail nearby, toilets, a cafe and a flat edge — which is why it suits a short after-work session. It is also 2 km west of the Bridge, so everything goes back.

Fish from the promenade edge along the western side of the park, between the public pontoon and the small boomed enclosure in the south-western corner, dropping baits close to the wall and keeping every cast well clear of the boom. Bream, tarwhine and trevally take peeled prawn or mullet strip on a size 2–1/0 circle hook under a small 00 ball sinker, helped by a little berley. Small soft plastics on 1–2g jigheads, worked slowly down the face of the wall, pick up bream that ignore bait. Squid are jigged along the edge at dawn, dusk and after dark, and a live squid under a float is the long shot for a passing kingfish or mulloway. Luderick come to green weed under a stem float through the cooler months.

Yellowfin bream and silver trevally are the everyday catch, with tarwhine and leatherjackets mixed in. Luderick are best from about April to September on weed. Squid are around most of the year and are most active in low light. Kingfish and mulloway are possible rather than likely in this corner of the harbour, and every fish caught here goes back.

Stay on the promenade and off the public pontoon — the City of Sydney lists it as a boating pontoon for vessels to tie up, so treat it as off-limits unless signage says otherwise. Bring your own bait — the harbour foreshore is an Intertidal Protected Area, so crabs, worms, nippers and oysters are protected. NSW advice is that no fish or crustaceans caught west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge should be eaten, so plan on releasing everything. The park is busy with walkers, prams and dogs, so cast underarm or check behind every time. Clean the edge with a bucket of water before you go; a city park tolerates anglers who leave nothing behind.

The park is on Pirrama Road, Pyrmont, with bus stops on Pirrama Road and light rail a short walk away. Street parking around Pyrmont is scarce, so public transport is the easier option with a rod and a small bag. Public toilets sit beside the playground and in the northern part of the park, with a cafe, barbecues, picnic areas and shade. The promenade is flat and sealed, so prams, trolleys and wheelchairs can reach the edge.

Pirrama sits in the inner harbour between Darling Harbour and Johnstons Bay, so there is no ocean swell and it fishes in most weather. A westerly or north-westerly blows across the bay onto the western promenade and makes light-line fishing fiddly, while a southerly or easterly leaves the edge in the lee of the peninsula. Tide still matters — a moving tide along the wall beats slack water. After heavy rain the inner harbour colours up, and the bite slows until it clears.

The promenade edge drops straight into deep water with no easy way back out, so keep children back and fish with someone after dark. Old wharf piles sit awash just off the promenade and will snag a bottom rig. Boats use the public pontoon and the bay, so keep lines clear of anything manoeuvring. The City of Sydney is not a declared rock-fishing lifejacket area and this is a seawall, not rock, but a lifejacket is strongly recommended for anyone fishing the edge alone at night. Heavy foot traffic, cyclists and dogs share the promenade, so keep hooks, knives and bait off the walkway.

Yes. DPIRD's Sydney Harbour land-based guide lists Pirrama Park as a fishing site. Fish from the promenade rather than the public boating pontoon, bring your own bait because the foreshore is an Intertidal Protected Area, and carry your NSW Recreational Fishing Fee receipt.

Treat it as off-limits: the City of Sydney lists the Elizabeth Macarthur Bay public pontoon as a boating pontoon for vessels to tie up, and since April 2025 it has also been the Pirrama Park stop on the F10 Blackwattle Bay ferry. Stay on the promenade beside it unless signage on the pontoon says fishing is permitted.

No. Pyrmont is west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and NSW advice is that no fish or crustaceans caught west of the Bridge should be eaten because of dioxin contamination. Fishing is legal — release your catch.

Yellowfin bream and silver trevally are the regulars, with tarwhine, leatherjackets, luderick in the cooler months and squid after dark. Kingfish and mulloway are occasional visitors. Everything should be released under the west-of-the-Bridge advice.