When I was little, Darling Harbour meant Sega World, birthday parties at the space-themed Xerts, and treating the fountains near the Maccas like an obstacle course. A bit older and Darling Harbour meant taking the monorail to Harbourside and marvelling at the concept of being able to play bowling and laser tag under the one roof. When I was in high school, Darling Harbour meant excursions to watch exaggerated 3D nature documentaries at Imax, year 11 socials on party boats leaving King Street Wharf, and then trying and failing to use a fakey to get into Chinese Laundry.

And when I turned 18, Darling Harbour meant celebrating adulthood by going to Cargo Bar.

Since it opened in 2000, everybody who’s ever partied in Sydney has, at some point, crossed paths with Cargo Bar. Almost everyone has a story about Cargo Bar that involves either regret, excess or chundering all over the shop. For a lot of us, these stories involve all three.

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Love it, hate it, love to hate it: Cargo was just something you did. It’s the torchbearer for an oft-imitated, never-bettered style of bar that you only really see in Darling Harbour. Anyone who grew up in Sydney knows what I mean, but, as I found out last Friday – when I took a friend from out of town to visit the newly renovated and relaunched Cargo – it’s hard to explain Darling Harbour and its bars to people who aren’t from here.

I tried launching into a rundown of how the Sydney Olympics and the Y2K era combined into a vibe-meets-aesthetic that you still see in pockets all around town – and that Darling Harbour is like an espresso shot of nostalgia for that time. But I knew I sounded a bit silly.

Fortunately, when my friend saw King Street Wharf, and Cargo Bar 2.0, she got it.

“Okay, so Cargo Bar was where people would go when they wanted to fuck, right?”

Exactly.

Sydneysiders get concerned every time a clubbing icon closes for renovation. More often than not, they come back with reduced hours, less dancing, softer music and menus filled with Moreton Bay bug rolls, kingfish crudos and spaghetti vongole.

Folks, I am happy to report that Cargo Bar is still unabashedly itself. She’s been gussied-up and had a fresh lick of paint, but she’s Cargo Bar-ing harder than ever. Upstairs, downstairs, beer garden – all still here, all still heaving.

Cargo Bar might have been born in the noughties but the new look is all about the ’80s: neon colours and LEDs everywhere, green marble bars and emerald carpet and furnishings. The DJ booths on both levels have been upgraded, as have the dancefloors and sound-systems, ready for local DJs to go hog wild on house mixes. Cargo Bar’s here for a long time and a good time.

The menu’s brand new and runs till late. It’s still all about crowd-pleasers and nightly specials: sharing boards, Buffalo wings, schnitzel burgs, healthy bowls. Something for everyone is the Darling Harbour way. The beer garden is, as ever, an excellent place for CBD knockoff drinks. It’s the start of winter, and it’s already pretty busy. By spring, a table here on a beaut day will be hot property, just like it’s been for nearly 25 years.

If you’d already made your mind up about Cargo Bar, the new reno isn’t likely to change it. But it’s great to see one of Sydney’s longest-running bars doubling down on the fun, freshening itself up, ready to serve excess, regret and chunder to the next generation. Sydney needs its Cargo Bars, and it needs them to stay open. Judging by the crowds I saw forming there on a soggy, frigid Friday, my hopes are high.

Cargo Bar
King Street Wharf, Darling Harbour

Hours:
Thu midday–late
Fri & Sat midday–3am
Sun midday–late

cargobar.com.au
@cargobarsydney