Fishy Business

For millennia, the Aboriginal people of coastal Sydney lived in harmony with the natural environment. Fishing and shell fishing were a way of life. Everything changed with the arrival of the First Fleet. Fishing quickly became important to the European colonists. The place where the fisherman's catch was sold also became important - and colour and controversy were never far away from Sydney's markets.

From Woolloomooloo to Redfern, Haymarket and Blackwattle Bay - with its new world-class facility - the Sydney Fish Market has become a beloved institution. Its story is filled with larger-than-life characters, political machinations and shady dealings, as well as the incredible success stories of hardworking families, many of whom arrived in Australia as migrants from Europe and Asia.

John Faulkner, a former Senator, has been passionate about the Sydney Fish Market for decades. His many years of speaking with its people and recording its rich history are brought together in Fishy Business - the complete and colourful story of a Sydney icon.