PORT JACKSON

also called Sydney Harbour, inlet of the Pacific, 12 mi (19 km) long with a total area of 21 sq mi (55 sq km), one of the world's finest natural harbours and principal port of New South Wales, Australia. It has minimum and maximum depths of 30 ft (9 m) and 155 ft at low water, and its irregular foreshores extend more than 150 mi, affording extensive docking facilities. Its principal wharves are near Sydney's business district. Its entrance (1 1/2 mi wide) is between North and South Heads, where naval and military stations are located. The Parramatta River, Cockatoo Island (shipyards), and Middle Harbour Creek form the inlet's western and northern branches. Sydney Harbour Bridge (1932), one of the world's largest steel-arch types, with a span of 1,650 ft, connects Sydney on the south shore with its northern suburbs. The Sydney Opera House (1973), whose design suggests billowing sails, is located on Bennelong Point east of the bridge. The harbour was sighted in 1770 by Capt. James Cook, who named it in honour of Sir George Jackson, an Admiralty secretary.