Circular Quay is where harbour and city meet: a working transport hub where ferries depart for a dozen destinations around the harbour, trains come up from Wynyard, and buses arrive from across the eastern suburbs. It is also an unavoidable viewing platform — from the pedestrian area along the harbour edge, the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the waterfront of The Rocks are all simultaneously visible, which is why tourists tend to congregate here.
The quay itself curves around what was once Sydney Cove, the site of the first European landing in January 1788. The Writer's Walk embedded in the promenade pavement has plaques commemorating writers who have described Australia and Sydney. The Sydney Ferries building on the western side is a handsome early Federation-era sandstone building still in daily use. MCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) stands at the western end, and The Rocks begin beyond it. Almost any exploration of Sydney's historic waterfront starts or ends at Circular Quay.