Thursday 11 October 2012

Day 45 - Sydney: Climbing a bridge

What a fucking (sorry Mum) fantastic day. Literally, had such a good day.

Had a nice lie in and then went down to the Harbour again to a building called Bridge Climb for, yes you guessed it, a climb on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I arrived early and eventually got suited up. You have to wear a grey jump suit so that the traffic below doesn’t get distracted with the people driving on the road below.

You go up in groups of no more than 12 and there are two different tours. The Express Climb which takes two hours and the Discovery which is nearly three and a half hours, the latter being the “better climb” according to the professional climbers. I was on the longer tour and set off with two Liverpudlian’s, a woman from Wales, one man from Frankfurt and three Americans. Our leader, Cass, was Sydney born and bred and was just wonderful.

So, started the climb... we had a harness around our waist and then had a head set on so we could hear Cass talk over the wind on top of the bridge. We attached ourselves to the rope leading along the walkway and headed off. The bridge is just fantastic seeing it so up close and being able to touch it. It has 6 million rivets in it and took 6 years to build.

Got to the top and the view was spectacular. You’re not allowed to take anything up with you other than your t-shirt and pants. Everything is attached to you so it can’t fall onto the road below. Cass pointed out Bondi and Manly beach and the city of Sydney. The bridge really is the only way to see the city. The Opera House actually looks so much different from 135 metres above sea level. If any of you ever go to Sydney, make sure you climb the bridge! It was wonderful.

Went back down the other side and got my pictures (which I’ll have to scan in soon) and jumped straight on the open top bus outside the bridge and did the three hour tour of Sydney and the Bondi area.

Many people know Bondi as just the beach, but actually it’s based around Bondi Junction which is a very large industrial area. There are huge shopping centres and boasts the second biggest train junction in New South Wales. It can be incredibly expensive to live here, due to not only the name, but also the proximity to the beach. Bondi beach itself is literally the most beautiful beach I’ve ever been on. The sand is blindingly bright and if you don’t have sunglasses, don’t bother going on it!

The beach is where beautiful Sydney people go to sunbathe and the people are all so gorgeously tanned and toned. The surf is always up and the guys sit and paddle while the girls sit and bronze. There is something called the Bondi glance which is simply where you look someone up and down over the top of your sunglasses. It’s actually quite funny to watch three girls do it at the same time  in unison as a fittie walks past.

So jumped back on the bus and headed back into the city to pack.

Follow on tomorrow’s blog children... x

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