March 6, 2019 – Sydney, Australia
The first shuttle out today was at 8:30 am. We were up and had breakfast in plenty of time. Traffic is a problem here as it is in any major city and the bus ride is about 30 minutes.
We arrived at the aquarium at 9:20 and started the mile trek to the harbor bridge. Today I do the bridge climb and Terri shops for pearls.
My scheduled climb was 10:55 but we arrived early and they allowed me to do the 10:25 climb. The Sydney Harbor Bridge is a steel arch bridge and is the only bridge I know that allows people to climb over the top of its arches. The climb is probably as iconic as the Opera House.
The entire experience is 3.5 hours. The first part of the experience is the mandatory breathalyzer test. Score over a .05 BAC and you will not be allowed to climb. Waiver forms are next. There are up to 16 people per group with a guide. There were 14 of us. We took turns introducing ourselves. I was the only one from the USA in this group. I chatted it up with Edwin who we had met out in the lobby. Edwin was from Wales. When he learned that we were from Michigan, his first question was “are you close to Dearborn?”. Edwin is a farmer and collects Fordson Tractors. I told him about Fordson being its own city and the school with the same name. He has a Fordson Tractor built in 1919 and it is one of about 20 he owns.
Next stop is the one piece suit that you must wear. You can put it over your clothes but with temps reaching 90s today it was recommended that you have only underwear underneath. No cameras, cell phones, watches, anything that may fall on traffic below can be taken. A metal detector makes sure of that. Once in the suit, climbers step into a harness. Harness on, radio strapped on back, glasses strapped in, baseball cap strapped on. The whole preparation from breathalyzer to harness took 30 mins. The radio was to listen to our guide as we did the climb.
The climb started with each climber taking a strap from their harness and clipping into a cable system that ran all along the climb. No way to actually fall off of the bridge with this system in place. Once strapped in, climbers could not go anywhere but up and then down the bridge.
The climb is very easy for anyone in reasonable shape. Many narrow ladders and passages to get started to the top of the arch. There are stairs welded to the top of the arch and this part was very easy. The views of the Sydney harbor were incredible. Great view of the Opera House and downtown Sydney. No way to smuggle a GoPro or even an eyeglass camera in. The guide is responsible for taking all of the photos (for some hefty coin when you are finished).
I managed to get a shot of some climbers.
The entire climb was uneventful but exciting. Robin gave us some great narration along the way. A bit of history and fun facts. One bridge worker was knocked off the bridge when the tool he was using backfired. He was an experienced diver so he quickly put himself into a feet first position. He managed to make contact with the bottom of the harbor 25ft down and pushed himself back up. He was picked up by a passing ferry.
After the climb we were given a free group photo and climbing certificate. I bypassed the line for the photos that were taken at points along the way. This picture was taken at the top of the bridge. Edwin to my right, Opera House down below.
Terri was waiting for me when I was finished and we stopped at the Fortune of War Pub for a Guinness and a BLT. Of course there was a large jar of Vegemite on the counter and it reminded me of Men at Work “Down Under”. I said do you speak-a my language. He smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich…..Probably a good time to find it on you tube and have a listen. It was played over and over on the hop on hop off bus tour.
We stopped at the Jewelry store on the way back. Terri bought some pearls as I took a nap in the chair. We hoofed it back to the shuttle point with rain coming down.
Our shipped sailed at 6 pm. Great views of Sydney as we left.
