I had been looking forward to Friday, my fifth day in Sydney, with nervous anticipation since I arrived. My day began with a 7:05 am pickup for the city tour--no sleeping in for the ambitious traveler on this tour! Also, I knew that this was bridge climb day and I was both excited and terrified at the same time. More about this shortly. While I waited to be picked up for my morning guided tour, I met the Moore family who was also traveling on a Monograms vacation with Pam as their local host. They were a lovely group of four: a couple plus the parents of the husband. I learned that we would be traveling to Cairns together and doing the same Great Barrier Reef tour, so I was excited to have some travel companions for at least a few days! We boarded the bus and our tour officially began at 8am.
Our driver, Mark, was friendly and upbeat. He gave us great commentary as he drove us around the city. I think one of the most helpful pieces of information came as we passed over the Harbour Bridge and I was able to learn the height of the bridge (not as tall as I thought!). I was also able to get a good look at exactly what I'd be walking on later in the day, which helped put my mind at ease just a bit. The first stop was a small park on the opposite side of the cove just below the bridge with nice views of the Opera House and the Bridge from a vantage point I hadn't seen yet.
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| The Opera House as seen from across the cove |
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| Looking at the Harbour Bridge from beneath |
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| Morning city view |
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| The bridge with pylon lookout |
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| One of my very nice tour group mates took photos for me after he made fun of me for trying to take selfies! |
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| It was a cold morning in Sydney! |
Back on the bus we proceeded through Mossman (thanks Stephanie Black for a bit of orientation prior to my trip!) and a bit more of suburban Sydney to a very nice lookout. From above we could see the spot where my Coffee Cruise had turned around in Sydney Harbour. Again I was amazed at just how massive the harbour was and impressed by the sparkling blue water--it really does just take your breath away as you look up into the harbour and see the small coves with sailboats moored, lovely harbourside homes, and lush foliage tucked here and there.
Our final stop of the morning was Manly Beach, which I could just make out from my Harbour Cruise. Not surprisingly, there weren't loads of beach combers that morning but we did see a few die hard surfers out in the water. There was also a surf school class taking place just off the beach. It was quite cold that morning so everyone was decked out in their wetsuits! While many of the others went to get a coffee, I decided I couldn't come all this way and not walk on the beach so I took a short stroll to get some photos . The beach sand was a beautiful golden color and very fine. It was a lovely contrast with the teal and blue ocean water. I can only imagine what this place must look like on a hot summer's day! Soon it was time to meet back at the bus and make our way into the city once more. I suppose if I'd had more time it would have been fun to hang out in Manly and take the fast ferry back to Circular Quay--next time!
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| The famous Manly Beach! |
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| Brave surfers in the cold ocean! |
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| Gorgeous ocean water |
I arrived back in the CBD with enough time to mail my box of souvenirs home and grab lunch before setting out for, gulp, the climb. My group was departing at 2:45pm and would finish around 6:00pm. With sunset around 5:00, it was shaping up to be a great evening. While I ate lunch I called home to catch up and for a little reassurance. I arrived at Bridge Climb early and before long it was time to gather for pre-climb preparations. You sign a release form, get breathalyzed, and then get suited up. I'd already been warned about the last bathroom stop (thanks Dheerja):). Oddly enough, they had us suit up with just our "t-shirt and undies" underneath the suit, which was unexpected and very different from what friends who had climbed before had told me. The jumpsuit, by the way is super spiffy. Mine had a low hanging crotch that made me feel like a thirteen year old boy with saggy pants. Flattering, yes? Once you have your suit on, you get a climb belt that reminds me what you'd wear if you went rock climbing because the cable that attaches you to the bridge hooks on there, and then everything that you might take with you hooks on there (or to your jumpsuit). Essentially, if it can't attach to you, you can't wear it or take it up. So, I clipped on a fleece jacket and a rain jacket, plus a radio headset to receive instructions from the climb leader. They have you practice hooking on to the cable line, then climbing up three ladders and down three ladders because you have to do that to get onto and off the bridge arch. Once everyone passes the test, you head to the start and line up. When you slide your clip onto the line, you stay on the line for the entire climb so the order of the climbers doesn't change and you can't bail off for any reason--Yikes! I was third in line with a lovely woman called Nicola, who also happened to be traveling alone, behind me. We were both a bit nervous about the whole thing so it worked out well and I found her British humor fun and familiar.
The walkways in the underbelly of the bridge are about 12inches wide and you wind your way around until you arrive at the pylon. That's where you meet "the ladders". When you're climbing the ladders you are actually caged on both sides for three of them and open for the fourth and there are cars speeding along on both sides of you. It's a little daunting but I just looked up and powered through. When I arrived at the top, there was a handy little water fountain waiting. It made things a bit easier knowing that there were two Bridge Climb safety guys at the bottom in case something went wrong and our climb leader at the top to help us out. From there, we were on the upper arch and all we had to do was follow the ascending staircase to the summit. We stopped several times along the way to take in the gorgeous view and for our climb leader to take photos. I have to say, it was absolutely magnificent up there and the bridge is so solid that there is absolutely no danger of falling off the bridge. Plus, you are clipped into the line continually. On the upper arch, the staircase is wide enough for two people to walk side by side so things feel a bit more free than the cramped spaces underneath the bridge. We paused for a good while at the top and, surprise, a marriage proposal happened in my climb group! It was the sweetest thing a with a lovely sunset backdrop! She said "yes", by the way.
From the top of the arch, we actually walked across the center of the bridge and back down the other side. As we descended, the sunset just kept getting better and better. Back at the pylon we met the bloody ladders again. This time we climbed down between two trains! I was lucky and went fast enough that I beat the rushing trains, but those who followed weren't as fortunate and said it was quite scary! From this point on we got to switch on our snazzy headlamps since it was now fairly dark beneath the bridge and the walkway was much narrower--you did have to watch your head! Soon thereafter we were back at Bridge Climb unhooking all of our appendages from our belts and suits and changing out of those lovely jumpsuits for good! We were rewarded with a group photo and I had pre-purchased two additional photos from the climb--they all turned out pretty good so it was hard to choose! Overall, I went from terrified to feeling completely comfortable 1300+ meters up in the air. What an experience! My only suggestion...like the Eiffel Tower, I suggest installing a bathroom at the top! That's a long time to go without a toilet break! It could even have a tiny window and they could advertise it as the best view in Sydney;).
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| My Bridge Climb Group! |
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| A little bit of Korean love at the top of the bridge |
