Sydney Bridge Climb

This is the view from the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. And yes, they make you wear those blue-gray coordinated suits and yes make you do those all-put-your-hands-in-air-for-the-photo group actions, but no, it isn't always that sunny.

It was in fact freezing when we went up yesterday. Though clear first thing in the morning and last thing at night during the day cloud spread over the sky and the temperature dropped with biting winds from the west. When it was all over I needed not just a hot cup of tea but a long soak in a hot bath to warm up again.

But it was fab - superb views and a great feeling to be at the top of this landmark structure. They send you up in groups of 12 with a guide and are attached at all times via a safety harness and have to remove everything that could in theory drop off, from watches to hankies. In particular they don't let you take a camera, and then charge $$$ for the pictures they take.

Our guide, Cathryn, helped us get kitted out with all the gear they provide, from attachable hankies to radio headsets. Then we were off on the trek:


In all it took about three hours - an hour for preparation including suiting up and practice, and hour up and an hour down. And in the cold you felt every minute.

But the views from the top made it all worthwhile - from the Opera House to Manly on one side and from Darlington Harbour to almost the Blue Mountains in the other.

For those of a certain age (like me) it was the sort of thing that John Noakes did in days of old when we watched Blue Peter. Now about 1.9 million have done the climb.

So if you're in Sydney its definitely worth it - even at AU$ 200 - and you could make that 2m. Just make sure on a cold day you wear lots of layers!



All pictures from www.bridgeclimb.com