Year 2 –21 January 2024 -Exploring Sydney

It was another lovely day when we woke and we had an early breakfast and then headed over to the ferry terminal to take  ferry into Circular Quay where we met Grant for a coffee. It was good to catch up and have a chat with him.

We then headed over to the Sydney Opera House and had a good walk around this iconic building. The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings, and a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture.

Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and completed by an Australian architectural team headed by Peter Hall, the building was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973, 16 years after Utzon's 1957 selection as winner of an international design competition. A Eugene Goosens in 1954 lobbied the government the government to build  an Opera House and Goosens was appointed to run the committee investigating the proposal. However, Goosens had to resign when they found pornography in his luggage!!

The building comprises multiple performance venues, which together host well over 1,500 performances annually, attended by more than 1.2 million people. It is one of the biggest icons of Sydney along with the Harbour Bridge. It is a wonder to walk around and see its roof which are like sails in the harbour. We enjoyed looking around (but could not go inside without a tour which are booked until early February) and then headed into the Botanical Gardens which are magnificent and a tribute to Sydney. The variety of plants and trees is stunning and you can spend many hours thinking you are in the country somewhere and yet you are yards from the centre of Sydney.

Once we had had enough we headed back to Circular Square and then on to the Rocks (an area near Circular Square) and where we went to the oldest pub in Sydney called the Fortune of War and had some lunch.

We then walked to the Harbour Bridge and the start of the bridge walk which we were doing. On arrival we were told we could bring no cameras or any video/photography device which we were quite surprised and annoyed about. However, having done it I can see why.  

We were first taken into the secure area (under a huge stone arch) and shown a safety video and then breathalysed as you are not allowed up under the influence. We then had to take everything off – watches, jewellery etc and put on overalls which did not have pockets. Most just had underwear only under the overalls. You were then asked to walk through a metal detector to check you did not have anything you should not have. You were then given a climbing harness and a hat. You were given a radio so you could hear what the instructor was saying. As part of your harness, you had an attachment which went on to a wire at the start of the walk and remained on the wire until the finish. You were therefore tethered all the way and as you walked the fitting went with you up and down the wire and stairs and platforms. You were given instructions as to how you moved on the wire and how you went up and down stairs etc. There was a simulator inside with some stairs going up and down so you could get used to how to safely go up and down them.

We then headed out from the arch and were on a long narrow walkway which led under the first flat section of the bridge and you could see the long struts and supports and it looked like a huge Meccano set. You were tethered to the wire as we walked along. This led over the last road before the bridge called George Street and this was the first road in Sydney apparently.   

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Sydney Harbour from the central business district (CBD) to the North Shore. The view of the bridge, the Harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is widely regarded as an iconic image of Sydney, and of Australia itself. Nicknamed "the Coathanger" because of its arch-based design, the bridge carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

Under the direction of John Bradfield of the New South Wales Department of Public Works, the bridge was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long of Middlesbrough, and opened in 1932 and it took 8 years to build.

It is the tenth-longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 m (440 ft) from top to water level. It was also the world's widest long-span bridge, at 48.8 m (160 ft) wide, until construction of the new Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver was completed in 2012.  

It took about 1400-2000 men (none of whom had any safety harnesses) to build it and it contains 6 million rivets (about 20,000 were dropped into the sea whilst building) and 16 men died whilst building it.

We then came to a section where we had to go up a number of flights of stairs and we went through each section one by one. We then came out on the upper section of the bridge right by the stone buttresses which apparently are not structural. We then started the gradual climb up the outside of the bridge just feet from the edge whilst still attached to a wire. We stopped from time to time to admire the view and so that the instructor could take pictures. We could see the ferries and other boats below whizzing about like busy ants.

We carried on up to the top so that we were at 134 meters. There are two enormous flagpoles here flying the Australian and Aboriginal flags. There is also a big red light called Blinking Bill. We admired the view and had a 360-degree view of Sydney and the surroundings. We could see the Prime Ministers House opposite the Opera House on the North Shore and the Governors House in the Botanical Gardens behind the Opera House. The city and its skyscrapers were laid out behind us. It was quite an experience and I held on tight as it was quite windy and the bridge was swaying slightly.

We then had to walk over the centre of the bridge on a metal platform with nothing below us but the cars whizzing across and they think a million people cross every 24 hours. It was a bit disconcerting but I looked ahead and did not look down too much. We then started our descent down the other side of the bridge walking back over the railway lines below and then climbing downstairs between railway lines and trains going past. We eventually came down to the bottom and had to get all the kit off again. It had been a great experience and one that should do if you come to Sydney. You will never forget it and I now can say that I walked up that bridge.

We needed a beer after this and so we went to an old Hotel Pub called The Glemore which had a roof top bar. We then went to a restaurant I looked up called Fish at the Rocks and had a fantastic fish meal – it was a lovely place. We then retraced our steps to Circular Quay and got the ferry back to Rose Bay and then we took our dinghy back to Stormbird. It had been a great day and we had made the most of it with lovey weather.

The picture of the day is of Mark, Trevor and I up the bridge. At least we were smiling!

Need/Opportunity Year Two

I am in need of more crew from April to September so if of interest do email me at  hine.nick9@gmail.com  

In year two I will be going from New Zealand to Sydney and hen up the Eastern Australian Coast, Indonesia and then through Bali, Singapore and on to Thailand to end year two about the end of November 2025.

The blog will continue as we continue the journey. If you have any comments or suggestions about the blog then do email me on hine.nick9@gmail.com