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Published: September 9th 2008
It was my BridgeClimb™ this morning at 11:05am, though I had to be there 15 minutes beforehand. Bryan dropped me off so I could get some travellers’ cheques cashed in the American Express building on Cumberland Street, right near to the BridgeClimb™ centre.
Brief History of Sydney Harbour Bridge
Sydney Harbour Bridge is the largest single span arch bridge in the world. The sweeping steel curve measures 503 m in length, 134 m in height and is 49 m wide. The weight of the steelwork alone totals 52,800 tonnes and is held together by an amazing six million rivets. The ‘coathanger’ design of the bridge, is believed to have been based on England’s Tyne Bridge, which is located in Newcastle.
It was officially opened in 1932 by the then Premier of New South Wales, Jack Lang, and has since been one of the most famous features of Sydney. However, as Lang prepared to cut the opening ribbon, Francis de Groot, a dashing horseman and Royalist fanatic, galloped up on his horse like a cavalryman, and cut the ribbon whilst declaring ‘I open this bridge in the name of His Majesty the King and all the
decent citizens of NSW’ in protest of Lang’s Socialist leanings.
It is also a crucial piece of Sydney’s travel network, and a toll of $2.20 is collected by each driver using the bridge.
BridgeClimb™ is Australia's most exciting and accessible adventure, on one of the world's most modern wonders, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The DayClimb™ prices start from $125 (£41) per adult, though they also do NightClimb™ as well, which allows for another experience.
Before the climb, I looked around the entrance foyer, where they had many photos of all the famous people who had climbed the Bridge. After checking in, we were thoroughly briefed about the safety aspects of the Climb, during which we were also breathalysed, just to make sure we would be ok. Safety on the climb is BridgeClimb's™ top priority and certain conditions apply. First of all we were given a specially designed BridgeSuit™ which to be worn over personal clothing, a waist and shoulder harness, and our communications equipment, a headset and receiver, were also issued to each Climber before commencing preparation on the climb simulator. This was a large portion of bridge framework, which allowed us to
get used to working the safety clip through the frame welds. No loose items were to be taken onto the Bridge, for fear of them dropping onto the cars below, so lockers were provided to leave our things in. We were attached to a static line for the whole duration of the Climb, so it was all very safe.
Once we had had our briefing session from our professional trained Climb Leader, we were ready to start the climb. We had a short walk from the base centre, to the stairwell access to the Bridge. We had to climb many stairs before we got to the start of the walk. We were then all attached to the static line, which ran all the way along the BridgeClimb™ route. Our Leader began by detailing the history of the Bridge, and also made sure we had been attached correctly, and could hear him clearly. There was a little wind, but it was warm.
We edged our way through tight arches, climbed narrow ladders and walked across catwalks to the summit, which was a mere 134 m (440 ft) over the water. Throughout the climb up we were told of the
courage of the men who built the Bridge, and of those that do the same maintenance nowadays. An amazing fact was that, unlike in most major constructions, no workers had died during the dangerous construction of this landmark. The only injury had been to one of the construction workers, who had lost a thumb. Not a bad record, considering the only safety method they used when all that height up, was a single rope tied around their waist! Halfway between the start and the summit the climb leader took some photos of everyone with Circular Quay and the city in the background.
The reason the bridge is painted steel-grey was because of excessive stock at the time. It is the same paint which is used to paint warships, and is cheaper and lasts longer than normal steelwork paint.
As we neared the summit, we then had a spectacular 360° view of one of the greatest harbours in one of the greatest cities. The Climb Leader then took individual photos of us all with the Opera House in the background.
Although we were at a great height, it didn’t seem too bad. It was an amazing sight to
see everywhere where I had been while in the city from just one place. At the summit we had a group photo taken which was nice. This would be our complimentary photo which was included in the climb price.
From the summit we could see for miles. This was were the wind was at its strongest. The wind was warm and not at all uncomfortable. As we looked east we could see the gateway to the Pacific Ocean, Fort Denison, the Botanic Gardens, the Opera House. Looking north and I could see the tall buildings of Chatswood, to the west I could see Gladesville, and Homebush Bay, where the Olympic stadia was, and further away we could just make out the gradual ascent of the Blue Mountains, which began some 40 miles away. Also looking west we could see Darling Harbour with the distinct wave-shape building of the Sydney Aquarium.
We walked across the gantry of the bridge, which in effect was crossing all seven lanes of the highway down below, not forgetting the two train lines. A photo was taken on the gantry and then it was the descent on the west side of the bridge. Another
photo as we were nearing the end of the climb, and it was complete.
We stopped off at a point on the main stairwell back down to the main road, where there was a section of stone, with a very small piece of history. During construction one of the workers had lost a shoe, which stone had accidentally been placed over. After all these years, this leather shoe sole is still there, and will forever have a place in the Bridge’s history. Another thing I found out was that Paul Hogan once worked as a Harbour Bridge painter, and many other famous celebrities had made the climb before. Their pictures framed and hung all round the room.
I met Bryan, Paula and Damon after the climb, and told them how good it was. Next, I wanted to go to the Sydney's Motor Show which was at the Exhibition Centre, near Star City Casino, so we drove over to the Casino car park and Damon and I went off to the Motor Show.
The motor show itself was really good fun, and filled an otherwise empty afternoon. I don’t think Damon wanted to go beforehand, but I think
he enjoyed himself whilst we were there. It was good to see lots of different cars, which I had never seen before. Unlike at our motor shows, the manufacturers still gave away the usual freebie posters and stickers, etc. They had cars there on all scales, from Skoda’s to Ferrari’s. I had to make a note of visiting the Ford stand for obvious reasons, and they had plenty of cars to keep everyone looking. They also had the two new models: Streetka and Fusion. I took way too many photos, but its best to take too many than too little. It wasn’t like it was expensive getting photos developed out there.
We then walked along Cockle Bay Wharf and Harbourside, where we had a look round the impressive I-Max Theatre, and then to the Harbourside Shopping Centre. It is home to some very expensive and exclusive looking designer shops, though they did have some cheaper but still nice shops. One in particular sticks in my mind, which was a sports memorabilia shop, which sold large printed photographs, which were signed and framed. One of the most impressive photos they had there was a panoramic photo taken inside ‘Australia Stadium’
at the height of the Olympic Games. There was so much colour as it was taken at the opening ceremony, when all the nations was doing their opening parade. I remember thinking it just made such a complete picture. The only sticking point was the price. If I remember rightly it was priced at $350 (£117), which was a little bit pricey, though I now wished I’d got it, as it must have been a very limited product. Harbourside is also home to HMAS Vampire, an old warship moored in the picturesque wharf setting.
We then met back up with Bryan and Paula, and went onto the Star City Casino, which is in the north-west area of Darling Harbour, on Pyrmont Bay. Star City is home to the Black Jack, roulette, two-up and other games. We had a look round, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many ‘pokies’ (fruit machines) in one place. They had rooms which were crammed with dealer tables, and it was very luxurious. I did notice many Chinese and Japanese people here, and Bryan told me that there is always a big percentage of them in Star City.
I bought a round
of drinks at the bar, and we also had some dinner in one of the large self-service food halls. Through my entire stay in Sydney, I must admit the food we had out was always of high standard, and the measures were just right.
After the meal, we had a look around the exclusive hotel they have there. There is a large restaurant on the very top level, which we went to. The restaurant has a large balcony, allowing excellent views of Darling Harbour and the city. It was night and everywhere was lit up. It was an awesome sight. Apparently, whilst we were eating our meal, a heavy freak thunderstorm had hit a little while earlier, and there was rain in the air. As we looked out, we could see the bats, which perhaps we’d seen earlier when I went to the Botanic Gardens. They were flying around the rooftops and were attracted to the lighting, used to illuminate the buildings around.
We get back at about 8:30-9:00pm. The temperature today was about 23°C (73°F).
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