Interesting Facts about the Sydney Harbour Bridge

fireworks show Sydney Harbour © Linh_rOm/Flickr

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is far more than a world-renowned landmark that is instantly recognized by people all over the globe. It is the living symbol of Sydney, Australia’s most famous city.

It comes without saying that the Sydney Harbour Bridge is a must-see attraction for anyone visiting the city. In addition to offering the perfect background for your holiday pictures, the Bridge itself is a fascinating attraction. Read on to learn some amazing facts about this top attraction and see what makes it so famous:

One of World’s Largest Steel Bridged

Just like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is made of steel. Of course, many constructions today use this metal, but Sydney Harbour Bridge happens to be the largest steel arched bridge in the Southern Hemisphere. At the top of its arch, the bridge raises 134 meters above the sea lever. It also has an arch span of 503 meters.

Harbour Bridge ©night by Linh_rOm/Flickr

The Construction of the Bridge

The bridge took almost 10 years to complete. The method of construction was quite simple. Four huge stone pillars were raised (two on each side), and then workers started to assemble the metal structure that makes up the arch. The finishing touch was joining the two halves of the arch in the middle.

Crossing the Bridge

The Sydney Harbour Bridge played a crucial role in the development of Sydney’s infrastructure. The bridge connects the north shore of the Sydney Harbour with the city’s busy Central Business District. In the 71 years that passed since the inauguration of the bridge, several billion people have crossed this iconic bridge. Today, you can cross the bridge either as a pedestrian or cyclist, or as a passenger in one of the numerous commuter trains and thousands of cars that cross it every day.

Under the Bridge

Another way to admire the Bridge is to take one of the numerous ferries, yachts and boats that go under it in their journeys across Sydney Harbour. But no everyone likes boats, so in the history of the bridge there have been several (successful) attempts to go under it aboard a small plane.

Climbing the Bridge

One of the most interesting facts about the Sydney Harbour Bridge is that tourists can actually climb it. There are organized tour guides that will take you atop the bridge for a relatively modest fee. It is estimated that over 2.5 million people have made the climb so far, including numerous Hollywood actors and celebrities.