Western Circular Quay (and Beyond)

There's a lot to unpick in this photo.

The long brick building in the centre of this photo is Metcalfe's bond Stores. A bond store is where imported goods are stored, without paying import duty. If the goods are then released from the store for import the duty is paid, or the goods can be re-exported without attracting the tax. It was constructed in the 1870s in brick and stone, and has now been repurposed for modern use, hosting boutique stores, cafes, and galleries.

The low set honey coloured brick building in front of it is Campbell's Store. It was originally built in stages from the 1830s to the 1880s by Robert Campbell, a prominent early merchant and shipping entrepreneur. The sandstone building was part of a larger warehouse complex used for storing imported goods, wool, and general cargo. It reflects the Georgian architectural style and is one of the earliest examples of bonded warehouses in Australia. Today, Campbell’s Store houses restaurants, shops, and art galleries.

Behind the Metcalf Store is the Sirius Building, a brutalist apartment building designed for the Housing Commission of New South Wales in 1978–1979 by commission architect Tao Gofers. Notable for being the only high rise development in The Rocks, Sirius housed 79 apartments with one, two, three or four bedrooms, generally with single storey apartments to two and three storey walk ups. The complex was built to rehouse displaced public tenants after a controversial redevelopment of the Rocks during the 1960s and 70s. From 2015, the Sirius building was at the centre of controversy over plans to remove the residents, sell off the building and possibly redevelop the site, with opponents of the plans seeking to secure its protection as a heritage building. Following the NSW Government's decision to refuse heritage listing in 2017, against the advice of the Heritage Council of New South Wales, the building was put up for sale.

On the right of the photo the dark brown building with the chimney is a former electrical power station, built between 1902 and 1909. The principal building on the site is the Former Mining Museum and Chemical Laboratory, consisting of a six-storey building and a detached 61 metre high chimney stack, which has been recessed into the side of the rectangular plan of the building. In 1996 it was fitted as offices, but it is still mainly empty.

There's a tall building on the left, a very controversial casino/hotel development. Barangaroo hasn't been out of the news since it was first proposed in 2013, both before and after its construction.