Realisation of a dream – Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia!
Photos by Bridgeclimb Sydney
Rich has always had a bit of an adrenalin streak; bobsleighing down the Olympic training slope in Bath, hot air ballooning, driving a Lamborghini & a Ferrari at speed around Thruxton Circuit, piloting a Tiger Moth over the Derbyshire Dales to name but a few of his exploits so far, but more of those in other posts!
He had one thing on his bucket list that he had not yet achieved – to climb to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge! So, with his 65th birthday looming what better way to celebrate than fulfilling the dream, which is why we found ourselves booking our dream holiday to Australia and tickets to climb the bridge on his birthday!
Arriving in Sydney just as the sun was rising over the city was a magical start to the trip! A couple of hours later and we had our first sight of the bridge from Circular Quay, my first thoughts…..oh my goodness that is high! What had I let myself in for!
A few facts about the Bridge Climb:
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the largest steel arch bridge in the world.
There are 4 ladders to navigate to the upper arch before you start the climb of 1,332 steps to the summit 134 meters above sea level.
Location:
Cumberland Street, The Rocks.
Directions:
From Circular Quay walk towards the Museum of Contemporary Art, turn left and keep walking straight on up Argyle Street until you reach the Argyle Stairs on your right. Take the stairs to the top onto Cumberland Street, you will come out at the Glenmore Hotel. Turn right & walk northward, cross the road and you will see the entrance to The Bridge Climb, it takes a round 15 minutes.
Cost of the climb:
There are various climbs offered, we chose the Summit Climb with photos at 394 AUD per adult (2023 price)
Personal Items:
You are not allowed to take anything with you on the climb, secure lockers are provided for you to leave personal items.
What is provided:
All the clothing & equipment you need will be provided but you should wear comfortable trainer like shoes as the climb is uneven in places and there are many steps to climb.
You will also receive a Bridge Climb hat and a certificate.
Our Climb:
The day of the climb dawned with sunny blue skies, we had to check in at Climb Base fifteen minutes before our time slot. There is a ritual to be followed prior to the climb; changing into an all-in-one suit which has a series of loops for attaching the handkerchief & hat provided and sunglasses / spectacles. No personal items are allowed on the climb, everything is attached to the suit. Any medications you need to take with you are handed to the climb leader who will take them in his bag.
It was at the point of being fitted with the safety harness and being connected to the headphones that my legs became quite weak, the realisation of what I was about to embark upon suddenly hit me.
After we had been fitted with our suits, we were given instructions on how to ascend & descend the ladders and how to move from one level to the next, there was even a mock up where we had to practice crossing from one ladder to the next one.
There are uneven surfaces and narrow walkways to navigate to the ladders that will take you up to the bridge arch.
There was a definite knack to the ladders, we all banged our knee moving from the first step to the second, but all was fine after that, they really weren’t too difficult to navigate.
Once on the actual arch it was a steady climb up to the summit. Personal cameras are not allowed but the climb leader stopped at certain points to take photos of us against the backdrop, a photo is included in your ticket or as we did you can purchase a digital copy of all the photos taken of you.
As it was a beautifully clear, sunny day the views became more amazing the higher we climbed. It was a little surreal to be able to look down through the steelwork on all the vehicles moving along the highway and the trains chugging along the tracks.
To look down at the bustling harbour from above with the iconic Opera House, across to Woolloomooloo on one side with Darling Harbour on the other and out to the Blue Mountains in the distance was an unforgettable sight.
Climbing the bridge was an amazing way to celebrate Rich’s 65th birthday and quite a dramatic way to conquer my lifelong fear of heights at the age of 63!