Day 71: Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, Harbour Jet Boat, Meeting the tour group

Sunday 14th February 

I climbed to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge! View was amazing!

Then off round the harbour in a jet boat, which as well as great fun gave great views of the harbour.

(Bit silly, it being my last day, doing the two activities which would have given me the best overview of the city. Do them and do them first!!!)

Then down to Base Hostel to meet up the the group I'll be spending nearly a month travelling around Australia with.

Distance: Bus, 6km, Walking, 6km

Total Distance: 10585km

This morning started with a nice casual stroll up on of the tallest structures in Sydney: The Sydney Harbour Bridge. "Bridge Climb" runs out of the Large spaces under the approach to the south side of the bridge. Here we were given light weight suits of hard wearing material covered in clips and clasps. We looked dandy all in matching blue- like a bizarre Star Trek crew. My sun glasses were attached to the back of the suit via a string and clasp. We were given baseball caps, also attached to the back of my shoulder. Due to the potential for runny noses given the winds atop the bridge each of us received a blue hanky to be bound to our wrist and slipped into our sleeves. 

The climbing belt was placed over our heads and fixed around the waist. From it hung the safety line which would keep us, at all times, attached to the bridge rail. We practiced using it on an assembly of steps. Finally the radios were attached at the back of the belt, wires clipped to the back of our shoulders along with headphones. These would allow our guide to talk to us despite any weather or traffic interference. 

That was all we were allowed. No cameras, no phones, no GoPro. The bridge goes up to 134m - the height of my second Bungy jump in New Zealand. Drop something from that height on to a person below and the results will appear on the evening news. This is taken so seriously that there is a metal detector to go through after one has put the suit on. 

Gear in place our troop of 12 left 5 minutes after the group in front, 5 minutes before the group behind. We walked under the road way, some 30m above the park land and water, across iron girders and wooden platforms.  We passes around the granite pylons that stand at either end of the bridge. They look like they should be helping in some structural manner. They're not. The architect purely put them there for decoration, to make the bridge look sturdy and imposing. Within they are primarily reinforced concrete, given a dressing of rough granite only on the external surfaces. Beyond these were the actual foundations of the bridge. Enormous nuts and bolts held the iron in place, locked into the structures beneath. The metal work here has been the first to undergo treatment with a new substance - a plastic that unlike paint will not peel nor wear. It should keep the bridge work safe and rust free for TWO CENTURIES!!! That's how long they think the bridge will safely last for, if not three centuries. And they won't even need to reapply it, apparently.

We then reached the area where we would be climbing stairs, right next to the roadway. Our route would be enclosed in a steel cage designed to keep us safe. Didn't stop some worrying, however, with the sound of cars and trucks flying past their heads. This climb didn't take long though and we were soon onto the bridge's suspension arch.

At the time of construction the bridge was of a new design and was the largest of its kind. An arch was built over the harbour. Suspension girders were then added and the roadway attached below. The design can hold a large amount of weight whilst being relatively simple- all iron girders and rivets. Still took a long time to build though.

It was built to accept the growing size of the city. It includes two train tracks, six lanes for traffic, a walkway and a cycle path. Thus even as the city grow from a provincial port to a centre for business it has continued to keep up with people's expectations. 

The design of the arch means that as one ascends the gradient becomes less. We began on a stair way, then occasional steps, then flat iron. We'd made it to the top! From here, by the flags of Australia and New South Wales, we could see as far as the Blue Mountains and nearly all of Sydney. Most importantly the Opera House- a building designed to be exactly half the height of the bridge so as to a proportional aesthetic. Our guide had a camera attached to his belt and took a few photos of us in the warm Aussie sun.

Most bizarrely at the top though was the Japanese party that seemed to be going on. One group of about 8 was stood on a special platform, infront of a screen, singing into a microphone. They do karaoke on top of the bridge during the day! Couldn't do that in Britain- we need a decent stint at a bar before we'll ever give karaoke a try. Annoyingly they breathalyse everyone before the climb. Guess we'll just be leaving it to the Japanese for now then.

The way down was the same but on he opposite site, down past the railway instead of the highway, and back under the granite pylons. Here we heard about the 16 men who died in the bridges construction. Only 10 were at the bridge- others were at such places as the steel works and the granite mine. One mine worked got his thumb stuck between two blocks, it got infected, and he died when treatment came too late. There was one man who fell from the bridge and survived. He had been a diver in his youth, along with a construction coworker. They'd worked out a plan for if they fell off the bridge. Into the water feet first or head first, took in, hope for the best- because at the height they'd fall from impact would be like hitting concrete. Thankfully he somersaulted and went feet first. He was under water for over a minute. He came up eventually, saved by a passing boat. The stitching of his boots had split and risen up to his thighs. A few scraps and scratches he was back in work 20 days later. Tough guy!

Sydney Harbour by Jet Boat

Having seen Sydney from on high now I'd see it from the water. The boat left from next to the Opera House and went out towards the exit of the harbour. The place was filled with all manner of boats- from merchant ships and the grand cruise liners right down to people's personal speed boats and even kids being tough to sail in toppers- 1 person sail boats the size of a bath. I learnt to sail in one of them, they're great fun. Not so sure in a busy port though.

We saw islands, forts, the houses of the rich and famous, and the back of the zoo. All the while our pilot pulled the boat through spins and sudden stops, getting us all soaked in the questionable harbour water. Additionally it was all done at tremendous speeds- open water allowed them to be far faster than we'd gone in canyons of NZ. It being Valentines Day there were multiple couple on the boat- an interesting choice of date. 

The boat was actually a great way to see the harbour- I wish I'd done it on my first day there. The same with the bridge climb, was a magnificent sight of what the city had to offer.

That evening I met the 17 women and 3 guys I'd be spending the next week with to Byron Bay. The gender gap was like being back in Veterinary School! We met up at a hostel, went for food and drink in a local pub, and socialised with new friends.

Day 62-64: Sydney

Friday 5th-Sunday 7th February

Randwick, Games Workshop and Centennial Park

Central Sydney: Museum of Sydney, Observatory Hills, The Rocks, The Sydney Opera House, The Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Botanical Gardens 

Distance: Buses, 15km, Walking, 35km

Total Distance: 8899km

I spent my first days resting, nerding out, visiting the local area and the local Centennial Park. It's quite odd having such a sudden change of flora and fauna. There's a lot of amazing birds in the parks here, as well as native trees able to deal with the low rain fall.

After this I felt ready to venture out into the tourist spots. My Lonely Planet guide suggested a walk from the Observatory to the Botanic Gardens, taking in the Bridge and Opera House.

In the way down I dropped in at the Museum of Sydney. This little museum is built over the site of the first Government House. It's got a good smattering of Aussie history but I can't say I stayed long. It was one of those museums with a bit too much guff, waffle, and information which, whilst probably interesting to the expert, wasn't an aid to my understanding of Australia's past.

However there were two exhibits I particularly enjoyed. One was in the cinema they have showing a series of old films about the building of parts of the city, such as the bridge. The other was a series of conversations between actors playing the parts of original settlers, giving the views and opinions of early Australia.

I moved off for the advised walk from Lonely Planet. The observatory, down past the bridge, to the Opera House, and out to the Botanci Gardens. I couldn't help but wander off course though.

Up on Observatory Hill there were a large number of couples having their wedding photos taken. This hill gives the best panoramic view of Sydney- thus is extremely popular. I had a plod around, taking in the large building that is the observatory with its 3 domes and the telescope outside as an exhibit. The view across Sydney was great, yet much of the modern cityscape is now housing, shopping malls, and industrial units. I felt out of place amongst the men in tails and ladies in white. Let's move on. 

I went under the highway that goes onto the bridge via a small old stone tunnel. This lead to "The Rocks", an area that has been inhabited virtually all the time there's been westerners here. There's even an area of some of the first houses which have been excavated and left on show so that people can walk through them, sit on replica chairs by replica tables. In The Rocks of today there was a street market going on with everything from cloths and crafts to food and drink. A quick look around and I was off. 

Between here and the Opera House are the Modern Art Gallery, great views of the bridge, and the quay. I wandered through the art gallery. It was ok. Nothing special. Nothing that really felt like anything. Not much that made me think. It was ok. I feel like the artists have spent too much time thinking about what they were going to produce and not enough feeling it. Saw better in New Zealand. But that's just my opinion.

The Opera House was cool to finally see. I never r aliased that it's two seemingly unconnected buildings. Nor did I realise that the roof is not big stretches of pure white. It's actually a series of white tiles, some tiles formed on the surface of the steel supports. Each of the two arenas had events about to start at this point. Everyone but me and the Chinese tourists were dressed up in their best for a night of opera or theatre. Hence I wasn't going for a proper look around the inside, instead the bars, cafes, and wee gift shop had to suffice.

The Botanic Garden is celebrating its 200th Anniversary. They've grown a few specific, spectacular, borders for the occasion and begun the renovation of some of their main buildings. I walked through on my way to the bus, amongst cycads and roses.