Bridge Birthday
This Sunday, Sydney’s Harbour Bridge will be celebrating its 75th birthday. If you don’t know what the Sydney Harbour Bridge is, I’m sure you at least know what the structure looks like.
Sydney-siders affectionately call this symbol of their fair city ‘The Coathanger.’ Construction started in 1923 but was only completed in 1932. Like the other grand public works project in Sydney, the Sydney Opera House, the bridge’s final cost was more than double the original budget.
Now, what can one do on the bridge? One can climb the bridge’s arches, though this is grossly overpriced, or one can walk on the decks from The Rocks to Milson’s Point and enjoy the city views. Transportation wise, most trains on the North Shore line use the bridge. The train ride itself is wondrous. From Town Hall and Wynyard stations, the underground tracks ascend up and as you pass the first pylon, you see the blue expanse of Sydney Harbour and the white sails of the Opera House.
Since the bridge is celebrating it’s 75th birthday, the NSW Government has a long list of events for the bash. There’s a sailing regatta, a light display and definitely parties from Darling Harbour, pass King Street Wharf, up The Rocks and more down in Circular Quay. The famous pyroclastic displays which Sydney is renowned for will surely be on the list as well.
The best places to view the bridge, personally, would be from ferries. The Opera House, Circular Quay and Opera Bar would be a nice place to enjoy the views of the iconic bridge but for me, ferries are. Catch a ferry from Double Bay, Watson’s Bay, Crenmore or Manly and you will enjoy a great view of the bridge. In the evening as the sun sets, if you happen to pass underneath the bridge, you can see swiftlets flying. I call them swiftlets, after CK and I were figuring out what it is. It’s still a contentious point but we have agreed for now, they are swiftlets.
Sydney knows how to throw a party and has surprises in store for everyone no matter what time of year. Assuredly, tomorrow will be a spectacle. Love it or loathe it, the bridge is part of Sydney’s history. The bridge is also that great icon of Australia. The USA have New York and the Capitol building. France has the Eiffel Tower. The United Kingdom has Big Ben. Malaysia has the Petronas Towers. Australia’s symbol: Sydney Harbour Bridge. Cheers!
