Sydney celebrates Harbour Bridge’s 75th birthday

Hundreds of thousands of spectators gathered around the harbour foreshore to witness the historic 75th birthday celebrations, yesterday with more than 200,000 people walking across the bridge en-mass.

Today marks the official 75th birthday of the bridge, one of Australia’s most famous landmarks, with the celebrations yesterday kicking off with an official ceremony, followed by the mass walk across the bridge and by sunset it was bathed in blue, orange, pink, yellow and white light to reflect the fun of the celebratory occasion.

The special lighting highlighted the true architectural features of the bridge and for the first time in history, the entire 1.2km length of the road deck was lit.

Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin composed a musical piece titled Our Bridge Overture, recorded by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and played to Sydneysiders as they crossed the Bridge.

Sydneysiders celebrated around the harbour with a range of family entertainment, exhibitions, historic walks, flyovers and harbour vessels providing entertainment for the crowds.

The city paid tribute to the father of the Bridge, engineer John Bradfield, who was represented by members of his family, with those who lost their lives in the eight years it took to build the bridge also remembered.

Affectionately known as the “coathanger” because of its shape the bridge is internationally recognised as an iconic symbol of Australia and has been the centrepiece of many of the country’s biggest celebrations on the world stage, including the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Stretching across one of the world’s most spectacular natural harbours, it is also the showpiece of Sydney’s annual New Year’s Eve fireworks display – one of the biggest on the planet.

Visitors to Sydney can enjoy the bridge all year round:

Climb: BridgeClimb offers two unique climbs of the bridge which promise to get the adrenalin pumping: www.bridgeclimb.com.au.  Alternatively, climb the bridge’s pylon lookout on the south side.

Walk: Hear the story of the bridge with the ‘Sydney Harbour Bridge’ i-Pod walking tour from Self Guided Walking Tours: www.selfguidedwalkingtours.com.  

Ride: Bonza Bikes offers an easy guided ride of the bridge, with an exploration of Kirribilli and Governor’s House, Luna Park and Lavender Bay, or hire a bike and do it at your own pace: www.bonzabiketours.com.  

Sail: The bridge looks most impressive from the water. Charter a yacht or learn to sail with Sydney by Sail: www.sydneybysail.com.au.  Join a sightseeing tour with Captain Cook Cruises www.captaincookcruises.com.au,  Magistic Cruises www.magisticcruises.com.au or Matilda Cruises www.matilda.com.au.

Admire: Sit back and marvel at this architectural masterpiece from up-close at The Opera Bar www.operabar.com.au or from afar at Strickland House in Vaucluse. www.hht.net.au  

Fly: For a different perspective, head to the sky for a scenic flight you’ll never forget.  For a thrill, try The Red Baron which takes in views of the harbour and bridge before heading north to Longreef where the plane will do a loop or barrel roll. www.redbaron.com.au.

Learn: Bridging Sydney, an exhibition at the Museum of Sydney, brings together dramatic photographs and paintings with rare plans and sketches. Open until 29 April. www.hht.net.au/bridgingsydney.

Play: Sydney’s Luna Park is directly under the harbour bridge. Jump aboard one of their “white-knuckle” rides and hold onto your hat for a truly unique glimpse of the bridge (perhaps while you are upside down!) www.lunaparksydney.com

Sydney Harbour Bridge fast facts:

** Span length: 503 meters pylon to pylon Height:134 metres.

** Weight including approaches: 52,800 tonnes.

** While appearing curved, it is only made of straight pieces of steel.

** The last of six million rivets on the Bridge was placed in the top of the arch on the eastern side. The largest rivet weighed 3.5 kilograms.

** The first man to walk from shore to shore on the Bridge was James Holt, a worker.

** About 80% of the steel in the Bridge came from England, including all the silicon steel for the arch. The remaining 20% was Australian-made.

** The maximum number of workers employed on the Bridge was 1654.

** The Bridge’s arch weighs 39,006 tonnes and the rivets alone weigh 3,200 tonnes.

** The Bridge’s towers are purely decorative and contain 40,000 pieces of granite and 95,000 cubic metres of concrete.

** The Bridge has more than 100 moving parts including sliding bearings.

For more information on Sydney, visit www.seesydney.com