Sydney - Happy New Year!!

Thursday, January 1, 2015

It is New Years Day and since we drank our Aussie "Hydrolight", a fizzy drink to restore electrolytes and aid in hangover recovery, we feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day AND the Sydney Harbour Bridge.  

The Sydney's Harbour Bridge is the world's tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 440 feet from the top to the water level, that's equivalent to a 40 story building.  

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Held together by six million rivets, the structure weighs in at just over 52,800 tons.  (I'm feeling lighter already.)  It handles vehicular, train, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.  An average of 200,000 cars per day cross the bridge.  And we're gonna climb it.

The climb takes approximately 3 hours.  I understand why now.  Upon arrival, we began getting outfitted.  Moving from station to station, first stop was to sign the waiver and have a breathalyzer test.  Yes!  They want to make sure you're not attempting to climb while inebriated.  Then on to the climbing uniform distribution room and changing room.  Next stop was to strap on our climbing belt, and then on to the handkerchief, hat and sunscreen area.  We finished up the gear with a two way radio and headphones.  Everything is clipped on for safety so nothing blows or falls off.  Our next stop was a sample climb to get a feel for what we were about to encounter.  The procedure was seamless and well organized.  About 2000 people per day climb the bridge, groups leaving about every 10 minutes.  

On the way up, this portion of the climb felt safe.

Our guide, Lisa was very informative and her enthusiasm about the bridge climb was contagious.  Four stories high and open on either side to the ground, the first portion of the climb was a precarious cat walk with handrails for support.  We were tethered in for the entire climb, but that didn't hinder the unsettled feeling of traipsing on a walkway of planks.  After several hundred yards of navigating the catwalk, we began the climb up several levels of stairs, more like a ladder than stairs, heading straight up.  At this point, the highway and train tracks ran alongside our path and the macabre rumble of the trains and cars so close was quite unnerving.  However, shortly after that, we reached the actual arch of the top of the bridge which made the first terrifying portion worth while.  

View from the top was spectacular!!

The path on top of the bridge was wide, solid and felt very protected.  The views were spectacular and the cars and trains were running well below us.  Whew!  We had an opportunity to enjoy a 365 degree the view of Sydney Harbour, the Opera House, Darling Harbour, the city and surrounding suburbs.    The breeze on top was marvelous!  It kind of felt like being on top of the world.  So worth the spine-chilling trek to arrive on the top.  

The Bridge Climb was exciting, but exhausting.  The breakfast we packed away earlier was long gone, so we stopped at "The Australian" restaurant (recommended by our guide, Lisa) for a quick lunch.  The only table left was outside and seated 6, but since we don't take up much room, we took it.  Soon 12 folks pulled up an adjoining table and joined us.  A group from San Francisco area had come to Sydney to visit their exchange student and his family.  Brought back a flood of memories of when my children were younger and went abroad for an exchange program.  We finished our salad and had a couple of slices of pizza left, so we passed it down to the teens.  It was like sending a calf into the pit in the movie Jurassic Park.  The plate was returned seconds later totally empty.  

After a great bridge climb and very satisfying lunch, it was time to head back to the Shangri-La and get packed and ready to head up to The Sunshine Coast to visit Darcy, Kylie and family, a highlight of this trip for sure!!