The Sydney Harbour Bridge turns 75 this weekend. I’ll be there with my son on Sunday, having secured a spot to walk across while the bridge is closed to traffic. A special memory for a Sydney boy. The Opera House might be the cheap photo shot for the tourists (who cares about that tiled tart?), but to the locals, the bridge is where it’s at. The roar as a train passes over, echoing over the water for miles. The perceptible undulation as you walk across. The filigree art deco things you can only see up close. The genius of Mr Bradfield.
I’ll be bunkered down at my place in North Sydney. I’m expecting some chaos as the 200,000 people who registered (plus all the others who turn up unregistered) arrive to walk across the Bridge. I can’t imagine how North Sydney station is going to cope.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that no major chaos seemed to eventuate around my place. There were even free parking spots in the street. People must actually have heeded the warnings not to drive. Amazing.
I assume there must be some fireworks tonight since there are now hordes of people making their way down through North Sydney towards the harbour.
Cunctator, it was great. Crowds were moderate, and apparently they even abandoned the registration system at the last moment. I wasn’t checked for having registered, but there were lots of cops and officials keeping us moving. I stood young Ben on a barricade to get a shot and heard a voice “make it VERY quick” behind me. It was a cop. But I just said no worries and he let us do it. It was quite well behaved. Admittedly, I crossed with the very first people, but there were no untoward goings-on. No drunks, etc. The public and the cops both did well. I think the event was over-organised, and next time they shgould just throw the thing open (essentially what they did today) and not worry about internet registration, etc. I feel sorry for the people who stayed away because they thought they’d missed out on a place. they should have just come along regardless.
I don’t know whether it is because I have walked across the Bridge dozens of times but I have to confess to being amazed at the turnout today. People at work were all excited about going and I was totally underwhelmed.
When I worked in the disturbed adolescents ward as a psych nurse I used to take a busload of kids to The Rocks at night and walk them over the Bridge on the footpath and the bus would drive over to Milson’s Point and wait to pick us up. Years later I had friends who lived in Kirribilli and we would meet at their place and walk in to the City and back to Kirribilli late at night.
It’s a great outing without the cost of the much hyped Bridge Climb and most Sydney visitors love it. It is easy to find the stairs to the footpath at Milson’s Point but it is tricky in the Rocks. Better than the Bridge Climb for tourists because you can take your own photos and dawdle as much as you like.
I’ve walked across dozens of times, and also done Bridgeclimb. But this was a bit different - walking up the roadway with 200 000 other people wearing silly hats…
A wonderful, wonderful structure, and IMO more impressive than the Opera House. Here’s my take on the bridge from when I was there in 2005. Happy birthday!
