If I had to pick one photography location in Sydney for a photographer to visit with their camera, the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal would be that location.

I know! That is a really big call…

But this is because, from here, you gain a fantastic vantage point of either the Sydney Harbour Bridge or the Sydney Opera House at an elevated and undistributed level.

The Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal is located in the heart of Sydney’s Circular Quay and somewhat in the middle of the two iconic structures. This means that you can shoot either the Opera House or Harbour Bridge at a similar focal length from this one location or zoom in to get a tight photo.

I feel that this makes the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal a little unique as a photography location and a must place to visit with your camera.

Video Review: This was one of my first ever YouTube videos and one that I uploaded way back in 2014. At the time, it was for a website that I used to run, similar to this one called ‘Photography Hot Spots’.

If you can ignore the horrible sound, the camera being focused on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and not me, and the incredible amount of “umms”, it is okay… At least, until I can reshoot it.

I hope that it helps and please don’t laugh too much! 😉

How best to capture photos from this location

The Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal is best suited for landscape photography due to its great views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.

Black Spiral Structure

When taking photos from this location, the best place will be in the black spiral structure at the very end of the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal. This structure is easy to recognise and is accessible at all times of the day and night. There is also plenty of space to set up a tripod and snap away.

As mentioned, you can capture uninterrupted photos of both the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge from the platform’s level. You will also have the option of photographing quite wide and capturing more of the city and the activity in the harbour or being more select and zooming into a particular area that has caught your attention.

Cruise Ships

Unfortunately, cruise ships tend to come into the harbour and use the Overseas Passenger Terminal for its intended purpose. This is most inconvenient for us photographers as it completely blocks our view of the Sydney Opera House. 😉

Vivid Sydney

The Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal provides a great vantage point to capture the light festival known as Vivid Sydney. From here, you do get above the large crowds that attend and, as long as you can get a spot along the railing, are guaranteed great views of the light displays projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House.

Take a selection of Camera Lenses

When considering what camera gear I recommend someone take to this location, I decided to suggest you take several different camera lenses or a good zoom lens.

Standing within the circular structure, there are times when you do want to go wide and capture what is happening in and around either the Sydney Opera House or the Sydney Harbour Bridge. At other times, you might see something which you want to zoom into and fill your frame with.

Something like a 24-105mm lens, or even a little longer, should give you this flexibility.

Travelling to the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal

As mentioned, the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal is located within Circular Quay. Arguably in one of the most picturesque harbours and cities in the world.

Depending on the direction you approach this building, two separate staircases lead to the upper levels, where you can take photos from.

If coming from the start of Circular Quay, where the ferry terminal is, you would head up a flight of stairs at the start of the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal. If you do arrive from this direction, you might be cut off from the far end where the black circular platform is.

This is because about two-thirds of the way down, an area has been cordoned off, which houses three sizeable black projector boxes. These projectors are used for the light displays that appear on the Sydney Opera House for various events, like Vivid, at different times of the year.

I would recommend looking for the flight of stairs about two-thirds of the way along the facility and at the end of a culdesac of sorts. This short flight of stairs opens up to a great view of Circular Quay with the black circular structure to your left.

Finding a car park

Parking is quite easy if travelling to this location for sunrise.

I believe that most street parking, if not all, begins at 8am. This means you should have ample time to find a parking spot, reach this vantage point, snap away and hopefully capture some fantastic photos. Then you can head back to the car without hopefully needing to pay for parking.

If you are travelling to this location for sunset, it is a little more tricky…

Parking will be much more difficult at this time as the city comes to life in the evening, with thousands of people flocking to Sydney to enjoy the nightlife. Therefore, you ‘may’ like to consider either public transport or pre-purchasing parking in one of the many paid parking spaces located close to this location.

Getting easily distracted

What makes it tough to get to this location is how distracting the many other great Sydney photography locations you pass along the way are. This might sound funny, and it is, but I do struggle with it and quite often stop to get a ‘quick photo’.

Places like Hickson Road Reserve and many other places in the Rocks are great locations on their own account and worth spending a morning or night taking photos from.

There is just so much beauty in Sydney! 🤩

A photo taken from the top level of the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal

This photo was taken from the top level of the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal. This is the opposite end of where the circular black structure is located and is photographing back along the building. (HDR Image | Sunrise | June 2014)

The best time to photograph from this location

The best time to visit the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal with your camera is any time.

There are always fantastic photography opportunities to be found, with Sydney being a city with many moods. That being said, I have a couple of tips for you depending on the time of day you visit.

Sunrise

I prefer to photograph from this location at sunrise. There are a lot fewer people around, meaning that you shouldn’t have any trouble getting a good spot. Plus, driving into the city and finding parking is much easier.

The other great thing about sunrise from here is that the sun will rise from behind the Sydney Opera House. Hopefully, this means that you will get some great colour in the sky and the clouds behind the Sydney Opera House as the sun comes up.

This will make the Sydney Opera House the dominant focus of your photos at this time of the day.

The only drawback with sunrise, and something that I have already touched on, is the potential of having a cruise ship enter Circular Quay and block your view of the Sydney Opera House.

Sunset

Sunset at this location offers its own unique opportunities, with the city springing to life as the sun goes down. All of the lights start to come on and add some nice intrigue to your photos.

At times, this location can get quite busy with other people, photographers and tourists, all enjoying the views of Sydney from here.

A photo of the Sydney Opera House during Vivid

This photo of the Sydney Opera House, all lit up and looking amazing, was captured from the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal during Vivid. This would have to be one of the premier photography locations for capturing Vivid and the incredible light display. Plus, if you are lucky and time it well enough, you can try and capture the light trails of the passing ferries as I have done here. (Single Exposure | Night-time | May 2014)

My final thoughts on the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal

Out of 10, I would give the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal a 9 as a photography location.

While this photography location should be an 11 out of 10, I have marked it down due to the possibility of a cruise ship showing up and forcing you to find a new location. Not that a different photography location in Sydney is hard to find. 🙂

That being said, I do love the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal as an incredible photography location. Not many Sydney Photography locations give you a great vantage point of both the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge in close proximity.

It would easily be one of my favourite Sydney photography locations!

I hope that this location review has been helpful.

Enjoy,
Rob Potter