Sydney: Coathanger Summit Climb

Reader beware! An exceptional experience deserves an exceptionally long footprint.

Today started as an easy day at home. Why? Because we wanted to be rested and fresh for tonight’s grand adventure.

Not that we were idle, mind you. We worked on a loose plan for the remainder of our days in Sydney and did some chores. We also went out for a nice lunch at the neighborhood pub around the corner from us … The Hero of Waterloo! Great fish and chips … so-so burger … delicious crème brûlée.

With a span of 1,640 feet, the Sydney Harbour Bridge — an iconic landmark, which the locals fondly call the Coathanger — is one of the world’s longest steel-arch bridges. You can drive across it. You can take a train across it. You can walk across it. And if you are adventurous enough, you can climb it … except on December 30 and December 31, when the climb takes a back seat to preparations for the world-famous New Year’s Eve fireworks display.

When we left the USA, we were still unsure if we wanted to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. We also wanted to make sure that if we decided to go ahead, we would have a nice day for it as the experience operates rain or shine. In the rain would be no fun. So, we opted not to make any reservations. That turned out to be OK as we found plenty of availability when we checked the website a few days ago … thanks to being flexible with our dates. We even managed to book a night climb … our first choice of all the available options.

The Bridge Climb is no Mickey Mouse operation … even if we did have Disney Wonder docked in Circular Quay while we were climbing the bridge!

First, there are all kinds of rules about what you can take with you on the climb … which is little more than the clothes on your back. Loose items are all dis-allowed … no bracelets or dangly jewelry, no barrettes or hairpins, no bags, no open-toe or unlaced shoes, no cameras or phones, no nothing. Anything that is allowed — such as eyeglasses — must be secured to your person by lanyards with special clips. And any essential meds — such as asthma inhalers — must be carried by the climb guide.

Next, there are a bunch of safety measures to get through … watching a safety video; doing a breathalyzer test; donning a “blend-into-the-steel-structure-of-the-bridge” climb suit; buckling into a safety harness; tethering eyeglasses to our suits with lanyards and special clips; getting issued headlights and headsets … just to name the ones I remember off hand. The whole process took about 30 minutes, with checks and double checks by staff before we were given the thumbs up.

All prepped, it was time to set out on the climb. But first, we received instruction on how to negotiate the four ladders that would take us from below the road deck to the outer arch of the bridge. The instruction included practicing going up and down ladders similar to the ones we’d be negotiating during the climb.

Finally, we stepped into the Climb Base below the Bradfield Highway — the road carried across Sydney Harbour by the bridge. After latching onto the safety guide wire, we set off on a walk that took us across narrow catwalks and steps and cantilevers. The walk was fairly fast-paced, but not so much so that you were left breathless. There was, however, little time to dally. Paying attention to where we were stepping so as not to run afoul of low overhead beams and other steel infrastructure, meant that there wasn’t much time to take in the views. No worries, that would come later.

Our initial destination was the Southeast Pylon. Once we arrived there, it was time to go up the aforementioned four ladders — vehicle traffic and trains whizzing by overhead as we did so. The ladders took us up to the start of the outer arch. From there to the summit it was all steps … 1,332 in all — no, I didn’t count them for myself.

As we made our way up to the tippy top of the bridge, we had several opportunities to stop and take in the delightful skyline … the Sydney Opera House was the main attraction … though Disney Wonder did garner quite a bit of attention, too. We even had some entertainment along the way … fireworks in the distance and music from the party boats flitting here and there in the harbor.

Before we set out, our climb guide had instructed us to line up in a specific way … all group members together … from shortest to tallest. This was essential for the photo-ops during the climb as we could not un-tether to juggle around each other. There were three photo-ops … one with the Sydney Opera House; one at the tippy-top where the two 65-foot tall flag poles fly the Aboriginal and the Australian flags; and another one with the skyline as a background. A special contraption ensured the camera was kept steady for the shots taken with flashlight.

Crossing the catwalk at the summit, we made our way to the southwest of the bridge. After enjoying the views from that vantage point and completing the skyline photo op, we began the descent back down to the Climb Base.

When we arrived, we gave ourselves a round of applause before going into the ready room to divest ourselves of all the accoutrements we’d been loaded up with. Then, receiving our “Bridge Climb Sydney” hats — nothing like being walking billboards for the experience — we went off to change out of our climb suits.

Of course, with no cameras of our own, it was a foregone conclusion that we’d be buying the “official photos” from our climb. Having pre-purchased the package with our climb tickets, picking up a voucher to download the photos at our leisure was all we had to do.

Thus, not only have we joined the millions of everyday guys and gals who have accomplished the climb over the past 25 years, but we are also now in the company of celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman, Robert De Niro, Pierce Brosnan, Cate Blanchett, Prince Harry, and many others who have conquered the Coathanger.

Oh by the way … if you are amongst those who would only venture onto the bridge due to the additional safety measure provided to the structure by the four pylons added after the bridge was constructed. I hate to burst your bubble, but those pylons are just for show and do nothing for the bridge. In fact, they are not even secured to the bridge structure!Read more