It took 9 years, $6.25 million, and the lives of 16 men to make the creation of one of the most iconic Australia landmarks, the Sydney Harbor Bridge. The bridge was built during the Great Depression and the men who built the bridge were the highest paid workers in Australia, due to the dangerous conditions they faced each day they came to work. 16 men gave their lives to the bridge and hundreds more chanced it day in and day out. After the bridge was completed and celebrated the same men who risked their lives building the iconic bridge were sent back to the unemployment line. Out of all the facts that I have heard or read about the bridge, this is the one that sticks in my brain. So when Dave and I walked across the bridge I thought about all those men working hard for years to build the bridge I was now walking across.
There are different ways for one to experience the Sydney Harbor Bridge. You can view it from a distance taking in the whole bridge at once, you can do the Sydney Bridge Climb and walk up to to observation point, take an elevator up to a lookout point, or walk across the bridge beside the whizzing traffic. Dave and I decided to do the latter because I have already done the Bridge Climb and Dave is afraid of heights...plus it saved us some money (which I then spent on souvenirs)!
Walking across the bridge wasn't as exciting as Dave and I both that it would have been. The fence with barbed wire top keeps you locked into your path daring you even think about climbing over. However, when walking across it seems just like any other bridge, but then you look at the Harbor and remember nope, This is not just any other bridge. The views of the Harbor and city are the best part of walking across the bridge, they are breathe taking views that you can't capture on film.
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| Shadow of bridge in the Harbor |
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| NSW Flag at Observation Point on top of the bridge |
I did love seeing the structure of the bridge up close, how intricintaly they flow from one spot to another. The sun hitting some areas brightening them up while other areas are left in the darkness of the shadows. After crossing the bridge, we turned right around and walked back again, seeing things that we didn't see before.
I believe my favorite time to see the Sydney Harbor Bridge is at dusk when the lights start to come on truly illuminating the bridge and the Harbor.
