Sydney Harbour Bridge climb? (You need to know this before you climb!)
Sydney receives over 39 million visitors yearly and the numbers have grown steadily. For many of those visitors, it’s the first time in Sydney. There are top-rated tourist attractions in Sydney that a first-time traveller never misses. Sydney Harbour Bridge climb, visit the Opera house, NYE fireworks and tour to the Blue Mountains are on the top three. Apart from these three, some take a pub tour to The Rocks and learn the history. Relax a day at Royal Botanic Gardens or shopping at QVB (Queen Victoria Building) are the other popular things to do in Sydney. Hunter Valley is not as popular as above. However, many take a tour of Hunter Valley to spoil themselves with wine, chocolate and cheese tasting. Hence, the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb is one of the top-rated tourist attractions in Sydney. We at Sydney Top Tours thought of sharing important facts about Sydney Harbour Bridge that you should know before you climb.
Why Sydney needed the Harbour Bridge?
Early settlers to Sydney identified the necessity to connect the North Shore to the south of Sydney. Billy Blue, an ex-convict identified this and started a ferry network in 1816. This has grown so rapidly and expanded to 11 ferries in a short time. By 1904, the demand had risen and over 19 million people used the ferries to cross the North shore and south. 75 ferries had to leave every hour from the Circular Quay to meet the demand. Still, they couldn’t meet the demand, and the government identified the importance of the bridge that combines both sides of Sydney.
What is the Sydney Harbour Bridge guessing competition?
After realizing the importance of a bridge as a solution to unite the North and South shores of Sydney, the government called for a worldwide bridge competition in the early 1900s to find a suitable bridge design. Out of 30 entries, the government couldn’t satisfy and called for a 2nd competition with special requirements. These special requirements were the bridge should have 170 clearance levels above the water, 1192 long spans, 2 railway tracks, 2 road lines, 2 tram lines, and 2 footpaths. In addition, the government mentioned the requirement of 60 60-foot wide deck. There were many satisfied entries, however, the change of the government held the construction. Hence, people started calling this “Sydney Harbour Bridge guessing competition”.
Who are the main people involved with the Sydney Harbour Bridge construction?
John Bradfield (J.J.C. Bradfield)
He was the brainchild and the driving force behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge. A draftsman from his career who has worked for the NSW Public Works department understood the requirement of a bridge to unite South to North. The government has appointed him as the chief engineer of Harbour Bridge metropolitan railway construction. Subsequently, he proposed to the government to build a cantilever bridge with 4 railway lines, 2 roadways and a one-foot path.
Ralph Freeman
An English engineer who has designed several of the world’s most impressive bridges. He was appointed by the Dorman, Long & Co of Middlesbrough, England on 24th March 1924 as the consultant engineer to Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Lawrence Ennis
Act as the Director of constructions for Dorman, Long & Co and played the third most important role when building the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
History of the Sydney Harbour Bridge construction
The engineers initially had concerns about where to find the required giant stones for the 2 bridge pillars. The answer came from a city called Moruya (Granite Town), a city located south to Sydney and had a giant quarry. Over 55 thousand tons of stones were shaped, cut, polished and transported from Granite town to Sydney harbour for construction. The construction was completed by over 1,400 workers such as boilermakers, riveters, steelmakers, etc. working round the clock. Only 7 of workers lost their lives during this mega construction and some at Granite town.
Sydney Harbour Bridge Facts and historical moments
- In 1923 construction began of the Sydney Harbour bridge
- Both sides of the bridge touched each on 19th Aug 1930
- Lawrence Ennis was the first person to cross the bridge from south to north before it was open to public
- On 19th January 1932, the construction ended of the bridge
- Declared open to the public on 19th March 1932 with a grand opening. Over 1 million participated in this event and at that time Sydney population was nearly 1 million.
- Dr John Bradfield was the first person to drive a car across the bridge.
Greatest things about Sydney Harbour Bridge
The bridge combines north of Sydney and the city is one of the greatest structures ever built. Rising 440 feet from the water to top it claims the world’s tallest steel arch bridge. How many of travellers who climb Sydney Harbour Bridge know that the structure itself weighs more than 39 thousand tons? Not only that, the bridge itself 160 feet wide, spans 1650 feet and holds 8 traffic lanes. The construction of the bridge cost over 60 million pounds as of historical records.
Current status of Sydney Harbour Bridge
Today, over 200,000 cars cross the bridge every day. The bridge is re-painted every 5 years. This is to protect its exposed steel construction and over 30 thousand litres of paint required for one coat.
Information sourced from the National Museum Australia and various online sources.
Our (Sydney Top Tours) article on the Sydney Harbour Bridge is over for now. We have written an interesting article about must-see Sydney attractions and you can read it here – https://www.sydneytoptours.com/blog/attractions-near-sydney/
