One thing I thought I’d do whilst I was here is the bridge climb – literally you climb up one of the arches on the Sydney Bay Bridge, all the way to the top where the flag-poles are – 138 metres above the sea. It’s not cheap – AU$150-250 depending on time – but I actually thought it was worth it – over 3 hours of time spent, with a good hour and a half or more up on the bridge itself.
You set out from one of the towers, then climb up some stairs to the arches and then walk up some steps on them, cross the span at the top, and then come back to the start point, but on the arch on the other side. The weather was great when I did it, and the view of the bay and the city is spectacular. Although you can’t take cameras up, they will take some pictures which you can buy later on – it’s not a cheap thing, but if like me you’re probably on going to be down here once, it’s a good memory to have.
Oddly, the only bit where I checked for structural safety was right at the beginning when you’re on some planks about 50m above the road and then some grating over the water. Once you’re on the arches, it’s like being on a hill. The guides were pretty good, and you’re kitted out with all the equipment and a safety line, so there’s no reason to fear. On the way back, coming down the stairs between the rail and roadways, I got lucky and experienced a commuter train whizzing past about 5 feet from me…and when you look down through the grating you can see the sea about 60m below. Actually, I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone – most of us didn’t want to come down again.