Much of the sea wall at Sydney Cove is edged by cast iron fencing comprising vertical posts of two alternating patterns joined by horizontal railings at top and bottom with diagonal bracing and a central medallion at the cross point between.
This fencing, the earliest parts dating to the 1880s, continues from around Dawes Point along Circular Quay West to the main concourse giving access to the ferry wharves, and resumes at Circular Quay East, terminating near the forecourt of the Opera House. The railings are relics of the main steamer wharves and schemes to beautify Circular Quay at a time when the dockside Rocks area had earned a sinister reputation.
