BridgeClimb: The Climb of Your Life

BridgeClimb: The Climb of Your Life

Post
Subscribe

Posted 2014-12-12 by Vanessa Mfollow
My experience with BridgeClimb Sydney honestly could not have gone any better. Part of that was due to the weather, and part was due to the fact BridgeClimb manages to anticipate everything you want from a climb of Sydney Harbour Bridge before you've even thought of it (down to the sunscreen offered just before you start and the bubblers placed at intervals along the route).



I did my climb during a period of extreme summer storms. Every afternoon, they rolled in with torrential rain and massive thunder, and then just as quickly rolled out gain. It was with trepidation that I showed up for my lunchtime climb, not sure if the bad weather on the horizon would stay there long enough for me to complete it. But in the end I was lucky enough to get blue skies the whole time, while other groups after me went up despite the rain (if the weather looks bad a climb isn't necessarily cancelled; you just receive attachable raincoats to clip onto your gear).





The BridgeClimb experience begins with donning the special suit and all that goes with it, like headsets and a hat (which you get to keep), and a quick trial of the ladders, preparing you for a brief section that's the only deviation from flat walkways and wide stairs. It turns out the climb itself is really easy; nothing is strenuous and you stop constantly for photos (these are taken by your climb leader, as you can't take your own camera or anything else that could possibly fall, with the exception of sunglasses and the hat, which get attached to you).

Short talks are another cause for frequent stopping. During these you get told about everything to do with the bridge, including heaps I'd never even thought about. These talks take you back to periods like the First Fleet and the Depression (when the bridge was built) and you can imagine them easily even while looking at all the high rise buildings (from the bridge they're just little pockets around the city, though, as you can see as far as Bondi and out to the West).

The number of times I had a question answered before I had time to voice it is another testament to the way BridgeClimb (privately owned, to my surprise) is very aware of what visitors want. In other cases, my climb leader was able to answer queries other group members had, regarding things like the New Year's Eve fireworks (did you know they're put up in one day and cleaned up in 3 hours?). Make sure you put your headphones back on after each photo session or you'll miss out; I almost missed hearing about the highway and how the eight lane bridge was built when only five cars were actually owned to the north of it.

The most common of the two climbs available, which I did, is advertised as taking 3.5 hours but mine was a little under 3 hours and a big chunk at the beginning was just us getting ready. There other way to see the bridge is the Express option. It takes you to the top via the bottom part of the arch. It's faster paced and has fewer stops than the traditional climb, but still takes 2ΒΌ hours.

Whatever time you want to do your climb is likely to be available as they run as often as every 5 minutes some days to meet demand (it's made me wonder just how many people are around me on the bridge every time I cross over). They were operating ten minutes apart in December when I did mine.



Along with a climb of Sydney Harbour Bridge, every climber also gets free entry to the Pylon Lookout in the South East Pylon (did you know the pylons have no structural purpose, and are just to look pretty?). You don't have to use this pass on the day so I didn't end up doing that climb because of the threat of rain. Instead, because it was Sunday, I chose a route back to Circular Quay station that included George Street and Playfair Street so I could pass through The Rocks Markets. Wynyard station and Milsons Point station are other options to get home too, with latter most convenient if you do the pylon as it will take you over the rest of the bridge to the other side.



Other things to do around the area include visiting the Museum of Contemporary Art , which has a revolving series of exhibitions but always includes the Volume One: MCA Collection and spotlight talks . If you're a visitor to the city or just The Rocks, there's The Rocks Discovery Museum to give you a history of the place, while the First Impressions Sculpture condenses it all into one work that you'll pass by when you visit the markets if you're short on time. If it hadn't rained, my plan was to have lunch at Dawes Point Park , just below one of the bridge's pylons, where there's great a view of the bridge and that other harbour icon, the Sydney Opera House .



#adventure
#bucket_list
#fun_things_to_do
#outdoor
#city
#the_rocks
#tourist_attractions
#tourist_sites
#unusual_things_to_do
#views
%wnsydney
105432 - 2023-06-12 11:53:22

Tags

Free
Outdoor
Festivals
Music
Markets
Nightlife
Fundraisers
Family_friendly
Community
Arts_culture
Food_drink
Educational
Random
Theatre_shows
Holiday
Copyright 2024 OatLabs ABN 18113479226