Bridge Climb/Favorite Activity in Sydney

 

After arriving in Sydney we had a lovely day admiring the breathtaking view of the Blue Mountains and the next we made our way to the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge was built in 1932 constantly flowing with road traffic as well as rail, pedestrians, and even climbers trying to make their way to the top! The purpose of the Sydney Harbour Bridge links the northern and southern shores of Sydney progressing the urbanization of Australia while promoting tourism and industrial development. As well as being a key asset to transportation the bridge is an eco-friendly addition to Sydneys efforts of sustainable practices. The BridgeClimb company has taken numerous initiatives to limit their environmental impact. Our program's decision to take the tour during the day time in comparison to night time is an easy and impactful strategy for practicing ecotourism. This is due to the necessity of lights at night time which waste energy. However the bridge does utilize energy-efficient LED lighting to limit their effect on the environment. The BridgeClimb company also implemented a waste management system and they constantly aim to reduce water consumption. Our participation with the BridgeClimb company shows our Universities support of nature conservation efforts and companies working to do the same.

 

To get to the bridge it was a 40 minute walk from our hotel located in Woolloomooloo New South Wales. The walk was rich in sights and it was an amazing opportunity for a great exposure into the heart of Sydney. My favorite location we passed on our way was the Westin City Bells Hotel which consists of a beautiful clock tower. This clock tower constantly catches my eye ever since then. After myself and the class frantically clicked pictures here and there during our walk we finally arrived at the bridge climb.

Once we arrived at the bridge we were all fascinated with the abundance of celebrities who climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge just as we were about to do. Some of our favorite stars were the Modern Family cast, Glen Powell, and Sydney Sweeney. After awing over the stars we were processed through a test run to assure our abilities before beginning the bridge climb. Our large group was divided into two separate ones and I was a part of the first group who was given Ari, our guide for the bridge climb. Ari was super sweet and extremely knowledgeable about Sydney's Harbour. For the beginning of our journey we walked along the bottom of the bridge where Ari told us the history behind the Sydney Harbour bridge and its not so beautiful appearance from the inside. The outside of the bridge was built and coated with beautiful granite however on the inside they used cement which is not as glorious and to use up every ounce of materials they had they put in their remaining pieces of granite scattered on the inside. The builders had never imagined that tourists would be inspecting the area of the bridge they paid little attention to make it look appealing. Ari also explained to us the tremendous amount of liters needed to paint the bridge in its stunning color. A total of 273,000 litters for the initial coats. And over time it constantly needs more touches; they plan to use drones to search for parts of the bridge in desperate need of another coat.

 

After making our way to the bridge arch, which many locals call the coat hanger because of how the bridge is designed, we began our climb. While scaling a treacherous amount of stairs you still get a great view of the harbour on both ends at different points. While climbing a train came zooming by which definitely caught me by surprise although it was a surreal experience being that close to a moving in train. Once we got to the top I was stunned at how beautiful the view was. I was super excited for the bridge climb because the beauty of Sydney reminds me of home back in New York. My first view of the skyline from an extremely high building was an unforgettable experience just like this one. As well as the view, the stories our guide Ari told us make the experience even more impactful of the harbours' significance. She talked a lot about the history behind Fort Denison located in the center of the harbor as Australians know it to be the gut of the harbour. The fort was originally used by Aboriginal women to prepare food and clothing for the children. Then eventually the fort was transformed into a prisoner's holding and the inmates endured horrible conditions. Many were starved and the emptiness of their gut added to the forts nickname Pinchgut. Eventually the prisoners were relocated and the fort became used for holding weaponry and war materials. There was an incident when an American ship came into the Sydney harbour and announced how easy it would be for them to blow up all their ships and damage the waterfront. This was a warning for Australia and they quickly took action to mend their preparation. The fort continued to go through changes over the years and it even became a museum and a restaurant during the 2000s however since COVID operations on the fort were shut down and now it reminds a mini island of Australia's history. 

 

During our climb we were lucky enough to take pictures with our group. We even had the opportunity to wait for the others behind us and we all crammed into one photo on the top. On our way back down Ari discussed the history of the pillars which belong to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The pillars were once pyramids however during world war 2 they were reconstructed as watchtowers used to keep watch on enemy fire. After the war they planned to return the pyramids to their original state however with the cost, time, and materials required to do so they decided to leave the pillars plus it was great for tourism. 

 

The Sydney Harbour BridgeClimb definitely remains one of my favorite activities on our trip especially from an informational standpoint. I'm extremely fascinated with learning about world history and this climb gave me a thrilling and immersive historical experience all at once. All the activities on our trip are beyond memorable and coming to Australia was definitely one of the greatest decisions I've ever made. Ending our journey through the land down under in Sydney was also the icing on the cake. Getting to experience Sydney today after many days of traveling night after night is such a perfect way to wind down from all of our adventures. Plus, it allowed our whole class to take in our experience and reflect on everything we had done thus far. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.