Sydney Opera House’s famous boardwalk to benefit from $120m renovation fund

The Sydney Opera House will receive an $120 million upgrade over the next four years to renew critical infrastructure, modernise ageing venue technology and replace 150 concrete beams, slabs and piers sitting in a tidal zone beneath the World Heritage masterpiece.

In a second act of the Opera House’s major renewal, the Minns government will announce a four-year investment on Tuesday, with most works invisible to the public.

The announcement was made just four years after the curtain was lifted on a $150 million refurbishment of the Concert Hall, and work will target the building’s smaller western venues and underlying marine structures.

The announcement marks a final milestone for outgoing chief executive Louise Herron, who departs this week after 14 years at the helm to take on a Vice Chancellor’s Fellow role at the University of Sydney.

An executive search firm has yet to be appointed, and names thrown up as a possible replacement include Carriageworks’ Fergus Linehan, Sydney Theatre Company’s Anne Dunn and Brenna Hobson, the Opera House’s programming director.

The investment was made possible under a new mechanism which quarantines the allocation to the Opera House for use for capital works only.

“This funding will do wonders for the long-term future of a World Heritage masterpiece,” Herron said.

“The area we are referring to is underlying marine structures on the northern side of the Opera House precinct, entirely facing the harbour and subject to the tides and wash of the passing heavy marine traffic. The work is going to tender by the end of the year and work will be staged in the Playhouse and Drama Theatre to minimise disruption.”

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said the $120 million injection, delivered over four years, would help the Opera House keep pace with modern visitor and performance expectations.

Key features of the project include replacing 1970s-era theatre machinery and staging systems in the Playhouse, Studio and Drama Theatre – venues frequently used by companies including Sydney Theatre Company and Bell Shakespeare.

The works will introduce automated stage draping, stage risers and acoustic curtains, allowing for faster and more efficient turnarounds between shows as the venue expands its program of contemporary music, talks, comedy, circus and cabaret alongside anchor residents such as the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

The Drama Theatre relies on manual hand lines – a counter-weight and pulley system – and temporary chain motors. Installing cutting-edge theatre technology will improve safety while enabling greater performance range and complexity.

Stage accessibility will also be upgraded, alongside event management and control systems across both indoor and outdoor venues to future-proof precinct-wide communications.

Work begins in 2027, focusing on reinforcing concrete piers and submerged structures of the Northern Boardwalk that have weathered more than 50 years of salt water, ferry wash and heavy foot traffic.

The upgrades follow recent planning reforms that increased outdoor venue capacity and operational hours, Arts Minister John Graham said, important work for a building that was a “symbol of modern Australia”.

The Sydney Opera House welcomes 11 million precinct visitors each year, with 1.4 million audience members attending its 1850 annual performances and more than 8000 people employed across the precinct.

The former Coalition government contributed $234 million to the building’s decade-long renewal, its new Centre for Creativity, refurbished function and events centre and Joan Sutherland Theatre upgrades, with the Opera House contributing more than $50 million from its own cash reserves. It was the biggest capital investment in the Opera House since its opening.

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