Sydney Waterfront

The Sydney Waterfront is the harbourside stretch of the town of Sydney, on the east coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, and it is the main place for visitors to stroll and take in the local atmosphere. Sydney is the island’s largest community and its commercial centre, founded in 1785 by Loyalists and named for Lord Sydney, the British colonial secretary of the day. Sydney Harbour, a long inlet of sheltered water, made it an important port, and the town grew up beside it around coal and steel. Today the waterfront has been redeveloped as a promenade, with benches, lookouts and public art.

The most conspicuous landmark is the Big Fiddle, a giant steel sculpture of a fiddle and bow that stands beside the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion. It celebrates the fiddle music for which Cape Breton is famous, a tradition brought by Scottish Gaelic settlers and part of the island’s wider Celtic culture, and Cape Breton’s music scene remains lively and kept alive in kitchens, halls and festivals ever since. The sculpture is a favourite place for photographs, and the pavilion beside it welcomes cruise ships in the late summer and autumn, when passengers pour into the town. On days when a ship is in port, the waterfront is lively with visitors, musicians and vendors.

Several heritage sights are within walking distance. Cossit House, built in 1787, is the oldest house in Sydney and now operates as a museum, with rooms furnished to show the life of the family of Reverend Ranna Cossit, an Anglican clergyman who came to the town in its early days. St. Patrick’s Church Museum, a stone church from the nineteenth century, is another stop nearby. Visitors will find the streets behind the waterfront hold shops, restaurants and pubs, and live music is often available in the evenings. Arts venues such as the Highland Arts Theatre and the Eltuek Arts Centre add performances and exhibitions to the local scene.

Walking the waterfront takes only an hour or so, and it is pleasant at any time of day, though sunset over the water is especially fine. The harbour is busy with working boats, and benches along the promenade give a place to sit and watch. In winter it can be windy and cold, and the town is quieter.

Sydney is a useful base for exploring the island. Louisbourg is about an hour’s drive south, and the Cabot Trail begins a bit further west and north, so many visitors stay in town for a night or two. The waterfront itself is free to enjoy, though museums may charge an entry fee. Travelers arriving by air can reach the town in a short drive from the airport, and several hotels are close to the harbour.