Speaking of women and their role in the making the Harbour Bridge- you should look up Kathleen Butler- nicknamed Godmother of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and also Bridge Girl. She was involved in every aspect of design and planning, and her plans were ultimately used for the construction of the cantilever bridge. Despite being called a “secretary” at the time, she was later recognised for doing the work of an engineer and her role was so critical that many have said that without her the project may not have even been completed.
Paul Hogan, who played and co-wrote Crocodile Dundee, was a rigger on the Sydney Harbour Bridge for many years before becoming a comedian and then an actor. It's 100 year anniversary is coming up in 2032...... makes you realise how young our country really is in a lot of ways.
The uniform isn’t just for the bridge climb workers, it’s for all climbers. It’s to not distract the drivers below. As someone who drives over the Harbour Bridge often enough, I am grateful!
Its not about getting old Ryan. Its about maturing ... You're a Father now. I'm a Grandfather and fascinated by things now that I've never considered before ... Enjoy every stage of your life Ol'Mate !
I am 71, but I am not a grandparent - though I am a Mum to twins and their older sister...but neither twin seeks parenthood, being both gay might have something to do with that, my son has a live-in partner but his sister lives with me (and is my full-time carer). My eldest daughter will be 37 in February so if she plans to become a parent, she's leaving it a tad late. I was 33 when I had her, I was 39 when I had my first set of twins, Philip lived 6 hrs, Marianne lived 12 hrs and I was 40 when my second set of twins were born...so maybe my eldest has a few years left?!
My great grandfather helped build it. We have the photo of him with his work gear on the bridge. My friend's bought me a bridge climb, so I'm taking the photo so I can take him back on the bridge again 😊
When my family arrived in June 1970 our ship berthed at the Opera House. It was surreal for a pommie family coming on a 2 year stay. We stayed forever. I was 14 years old. Still in Australia. But chose a cooler climate in Tassie.
The other major bridge in Sydney, the ANZAC Bridge, flies an Australian flag and a New Zealand flag. The bridge commemorates the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers who fought as a joint force in World War One.
The OTHER major bridge? There are three massive bridges. You forget the Gladesville Bridge is one of the great bridges - was the longest concrete arch in the world. The first concrete span over 300 meters in length, the first bridge in the world designed on a computer, and with seven lanes of traffic it is almost as wide as the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Because of its height it has been called the road over the sky. It is just as much an engineering marvel as the Harbour Bridge, and more so than the ANZAC bridge.
@@artistjoh Oh, I wasn't intending to post a complete geographic tour of Sydney crossings, but so that you will rest easier, "Another major bridge..." or if you now feel feel aggrieved by the description "major" lets just settle on "Another bridge..."!
@ I just find it sad that other bridges get all the attention when I think that the Gladesville Bridge is so beautiful and amazing that it needs to get more attention than it does.. It deserves a few tourists going out of their way to admire that huge arch, so I am not so much aggrieved, as merely willing to sing its praises.
My Dad emigrated from Scotland by himself at the age of 10 and saw the bridge being joined as he arrived, which I believe was 1932. He lived with an Aunt and Uncle who only wanted a servant and stayed there until he objected to the Uncle's violent behaviour to his Aunt and was evicted. He became a Mechanical Engineer at Mt Morgan mines and later Mt. Isa during WW2 and despite trying to enlist twice and being rejected for being in an essential industry, was later ridiculed for not having served. We sometimes don't realise how well off we are by comparison!! G'day from the Sunshine Coast , Qld, Australia where it's 36C today!!!!!.
I love to hear these real life immigrant stories because I think they should never be forgotten and you are right- we don't know how lucky we are. My family is almost the UN big mix of nationalities - no Aussie tho, although when I was young, my parents were seriously thinking about immigrating. I now live in Spain, tho. I'd love to visit your country but I don't see it happening yet ( money and time as usual). So, I get my travel and culture " fixes " this way.
My Dad had the same problem of being in an essential industry. He was 14 when the war started and tried to enlist as soon as he was old enough but couldn’t. Sadly one of those who taunted him about not serving was his own father who enlisted in the Air Force as soon as the war started and left my 14 year old father to be “man of the house’ to his mother and six siblings.
You mentioned 16 worker deaths during construction, that's nothing compared to the 35 unfortunate lives lost during the construction of our Westgate Bridge here in Melbourne on October 15, 1970, and at the time considered and probably still is one of the worst industrial disasters in Australia's history...A big shout-out to all the men and women involved in building all of Australia's "Mega-Projects" over the years, and RIP to all of the proud lives taken in the process...
Fun fact! The Sydney Harbour Bridge is believed by many to be based off of the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle England but it was actually designed based off of the Hells Gate Bridge in NYC. The centre lane on the bridge is reversible so in the morning it heads towards the cbd and afternoon back out. It’s known as the suicide lane as there are no dividers and Sydney lanes are narrow.
Fun Fact: The Hells Gate rail bridge was very famous for being the longest steel arch in the world at the time, at 310 meters (just 5 meters longer than the Gladesville Bridge) and two bridges were designed and built based on the Hells Gate arch at roughly the same time. The Bayonne Bridge started planning in 1921 and the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1922. The Bayonne Bridge was completed one year before the Sydney Harbour Bridge and golden scissors were made to cut the ribbon for the Bayonne Bridge in New York, and then sent to Australia to cut the ribbon on the Harbour Bridge. Both Bayonne and Sydney far exceeded Hells Gate, with both setting records over 500 meters. The Bayonne is slightly longer than Sydney Harbour, but is half the width and used only 16,000 tons of steel, while the Sydney Harbour Bridge used 39,000 tons. Of the three the Sydney Harbour Bridge is by far the most beautiful. Hells Gate is stolid in comparison, and the Bayonne Bridge has a visual mismatch between the road and the arch. A lot of the beauty of the Harbour Bridge is due to the Art Deco ancient Egyptian-style granite pylons. They were not part of the original design, but were added to make the bridge look stronger following a major bridge collapse overseas, and the public expressing concerns about safety. To build the pylons, a town was built near Marouya to house Australian, Scottish, and Italian stone masons. They quarried the stone, then dressed and finished the stones, numbered them, and they arrived in Sydney to be assembled like a giant puzzle. Those pylons served no practical purpose other than to make the bridge look impressive, and to convey the sense of beauty, strength, and endurance of ancient Egyptian temple pylons. In that they were worth every penny of the massive amount of money it took to build them.
Fun Fact: the Tyne Bridge (aka King George V Bridge) in Newcastle England was designed based on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but because the Tyne Bridge is smaller it was completed a few years before Sydney. Also the building company for Sydney Harbour Bridge (Dorman Long & Co) also built the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle.
@@mysticalmatt4130 In that case, the Tyne Bridge would be the third bridge that was ultimately derived from the revolutionary (for the time) Hells Gate Bridge in New York. Is the Tyne Bridge the one that is painted green?
I climbed the bridge with my cousin who was visiting from the USA. It is a fabulous experience. My brother in law was a bridge painter in the 80’s. Because they has to climb off the bridge for morning tea, lunch and arvo’s they only actually painted for about 4 hrs from 8.
I remember my dad telling me about being at the bridge opening. He was 12 back in 1932. I was at the opening of the Opera House and got to sing in it with the combined schools choir.
@Kev_Newman I saw the opening of the Opera House on tv as a young kid who'd just moved to Sydney from Brisbane. Always remember thousands of helium balloons being released. Also sang in a combined schools choir with the Marist Brothers Festival in 1982. Cheers !!
The two flags on the top of the bridge are the Australian and New South Wales flags. These days, it’s usually the Australian and Aboriginal flags that are are flown together.
Not only amazing architecture, but amazing engineering as well. I went on the catwalk and to the top of the north tower when I was working on the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. Fun fact. One of the vents for the tunnel is on top of the north tower of the bridge.
I climbed the bridge with my cousin who was visiting from the USA. It is a fabulous experience. My brother in law was a bridge painter in the 80’s. Because they has to climb off the bridge for morning tea, lunch and arvo’s they only actually painted for about 4 hrs from 8. The business that installed the climb and purchased all the safety equipment was out bid at tender and lost the contract.
Yeah. They only had the contract for a set period. I'm sure they made a profit. Scenic World (Katoomba skyway, railway, cableway) won the contract to operate the Bridge Climb.
It s a beautiful view but I can't stand heights so no going up there for me. Brave of the people who go up and put the fireworks in place up there every year.
Yep, defiantly a very expensive exercise. But is it worth it? The site of Luna Park on the northwestern side was the supply depot. The granite for each tower was barged all the way up from Moruya. 250 stonemasons were used to quarry the stone for the bridge. The same granite is in the General Post Office in Martin Place, and the base of the Captain Cook statue in Hyde Park.
Full respect to the mighty Melbourne Westgate Bridge (and its tragic backstory). Westgate road deck is indeed higher, and the overall length is longer. However SHB's central road deck spans 503 metres while Westgate's central span is 336 metres. The tallest part of Westgate is the towers at 102 metres. The tallest part of Sydney Harbour Bridge is the top of the arch (the top chord) at 134 metres. Westgate is 37.3 metres wide, Sydney Harbour Bridge is 49 metres wide, and includes two train lines. So yes, the Westgate Bridge is one of Australia's iconic bridges, and when it comes to representing Australia on the global stage it's generally Sydney Harbour Bridge positioned near Sydney Opera House on the magnificent Sydney Harbour. You guys in Melbourne have Flinders Street Station and the Twelve Apostles along the Great Ocean Road. Cheers mate !!
@@mysticalmatt4130 I travelled over the Westgate Bridge not that long after it reopened when I was on holidays with my family. It's certainly an impressive piece of engineering, The Westgate Bridge doesn't dominate the landscape like the SHB does. Different times, different engineering solutions. Most of the time, you don't even notice it when in Melbourne, unless you know where to look. Melbourne is very flat compared to Sydney though.
I climbed the Sydney Harbour bridge in 2000 when I went to Sydney for the Olympic Games. It is well worth the climbed. I find it an Interesting fact that Paul Hogan was a painter on the bridge.
YT doesn't allow outside links, The Birchenough Bridge in Southern Rhodesia where I lived until I left at 17 years old to study in Austria. As a child, the first time aged just 4 years old, my father, who was a hydro geologist, relented agreeing to take me on a field trip to the Sabi Valley that would last 5 days on just one condition:- That I would not speak i.e.(/open my mouth/complain) unless given permission. I agreed, my mother was horrified. I was woken up well before dawn, we set out in the big (to me) truck, a Fargo, 1950s (BTW, that heavy truck ended up washed away years later, by that same Sabi River, my father surviving by climbing a thorn tree) and I sat watching the sun come up, the landscape changing, the relatively flat to hills to mountains in the distance. I did not need to speak, I was in awe of all that I saw, even a herd of Springbok, I dared not make a sound, but my father saw my glee and told me what they were and I was allowed to talk and ask questions. We arrived in Umtali and stopped at a hotel for a light breakfast. The shops had opened, my father bought a Little Golden Book. And from there for the rest of the long journey that crossed The Birchenough Bridge, almost identical to the Sydney Bridge, designed by the same bloke but in the middle of nowhere in Africa, completed quicker, my father began teaching me to read. Quote from Wonders of the World Engineering: A SPAN OF 1,080 FEET carries the road across the River Sabi, near the towns of Chipingi and Umtali, Southern Rhodesia. The Birchenough Bridge shortens the journey from Chipingi to Bulawayo by 150 miles, and has made it possible to travel by road from Capetown to the Congo in all seasons. Before the bridge was built a detour of 600 miles was necessary.
Lawrence Ennis and Dorman Long. They also had just built the Tyne Bridge in the UK, so had some experience with steel arch bridges. JJC Bradfield was the chief engineer on the project, and was the one to recommend a steel arch bridge, after seeing the Hell Gate Bridge in New York.
I have a commemorative booklet from my Grandfather about the bridge opening. He had a friend that used to feed the cats in the stone columns. They were apparently very famous cats in Sydney at the time.
I had a job once which I had to take a train over the bridge to get to. Grew up in the western suburbs so I was star-struck like a tourist every time lol
A bit of trivia in 1932 when the Sydney Harbour bridge was first opened Premier of New South Wales Jack Lang was supposed to cut the ribbon for its grand opening, instead Francis De Groot, a member of a right-wing militia group rode up on a horse and cut it with a sword in protest As he thought It should be done by the Governor general in representation of Great Britain
A little story on the bridge: my sister's mother-in-law watched the bridge being build from her home on the shores of Sydney Harbour and was one of the first to walk over it before traffic was permitted. She was 100 when she passed and her ashes were spread over Sydney Harbour.
Ryan, take note at 2:46 … the width of the deck (160 ft) is just 1 foot shorter than the distance from the deck to the water below (161 ft). An interesting factoid when you see the bridge from the side, that’s basically how wide it is.
It was built during the depression, and there was no Occupational health and safety. There was a ready supply of workers to replace anyone who died. One man survived a fall.
My dad and his mate did a 'bridge climb' over the top arch, as 16 year olds, not long after it opened, and when security was somewhat looser. The were met by a couple of Police officers at the far end, who "vigorously suggested" it wasn't a good idea, but took no further action. Ah, for the days when such naughtiness was passed of as "the exuberance of youth".
It is an incredible structure, The Coathangar! I have walked across it many times via the pedestrian lane, but will never be climbing over the top - thank you for showing me the views! This didn't show the sandstone pillar stairway entry to get onto the bridge, which includes photographs and history! 😵👍
I'm no fan of heights, and some parts of the climb make your legs feel like lead ... especially that 'catwalk' section at 2:07 ... the first time you see down from a massive height, and you're not even on the top section yet.
They have a plaque on the bridge honouring the people who died constructing the bridge. If you are ever lucky enough to come to Sydney and do the climb, do the twilight one that way you get to experience it in daylight, twilight and night during the climb. You can also visit the south-east pylon lookout which is much cheaper and still a pretty good view
Ryan, when you come to Sydney you can avoid the huge cost of Bridgeclimb by simply using the pedestrian pathway on the eastern side of the bridge, the side facing the opera House. That pedestrian pathway is FREE and is an easy and safe walk with stairs or a lift (elevator) to get you from street level up to the pathway. A bonus feature of the Bridge’s pedestrian pathway is the South Eastern Pylon, which contains a museum and an observation deck with magnificent views. Unfortunately, it is stairs access only up inside the pylon to the museum and observation deck. The fee to go up that pylon is tiny compared with what Bridgeclimb charges and the views are nearly as good. It’s also nowhere near as scary, even for someone as scared of heights as I am.
My uncles went down to the bridge when the two halves were joined. It a huge event with final alignment of the rivet holes relying on falling nighttime temperatures. Achieved without the use of computers
The sails of the Sydney Opera House does not make a sphere when connected. It was designed as pieces of a sphere (an orange) but when they started construction, they realised that they would have fallen over if built that way and the design had to be modified.
More than 750,000 people gathered around the harbour for the official opening event. The bridge was to be opened by the New South Wales Premier, Jack Lang. Before Lang could cut the ribbon and declare the bridge open, Francis De Groot, a member of the ultra-right-wing New Guard group, rode a borrowed horse out of the crowd and slashed the ribbon with his cavalry sword. De Groot was arrested. Lang cut a new ribbon, the bridge was declared open, and a public bridge walk took place. De Groot was fined £5.
The Opera House 'shells' do not make a sphere. The idea for their engineering came from segments of a fruit which allowed them to apply the architects concept mathematically. So, the shells are formed from the segmented shapes of a sphere - but together, they dont form a sphere.
I did this climb in 2012, at the time, they also provided you with a radio where you could listen to them talk about the history of the bridge while you climbed it. Once your at the top, there's an option to get a photo of you at the top that you can purchase to keep. Brisbane's Story Bridge also has a bridge climb.
Brisbane's climb is on my list to do. Bradfield was instrumental in getting both the Sydney Harbour and Brisbane's Story Bridge constructed. The Bradfield Highway is the name of the roadway across both bridges.
The original bridge is in the town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne right on the English/Scottish border. Its design was directly taken from that bridge where my mum grew up. 🤙😎🇦🇺
Ryan, completely legal but expensive tourist attraction to climb the bridge, nicknamed "the coat hanger", but it is interesting they are filming as I believe the bridge is a "no drop zone" and you have to wear the climb's jump suits and carry nothing, no cameras, wallets, hand bags etc in case something is dropped onto a vehicle below causing an accident. Ohh and you can not jump off either, you are attached to the bridge with a harness system
I thought exactly the same thing. Maybe a go-pro? But it looks like go-pros are also banned. Maybe they arranged a separate media filming permit or similar.
Paul Hogan famously was a Painter on the Bridge. There are definitely interviews where he tells his story. There is an episode of "This is Your Life" about Paul Hogan, possibly two!
My stepfather came over from Spain in the 60’s & his first job was a painter on the Sydney Harbour Bridge (like Paul Hogan). It was a long term job, took years to paint from one end to the other. I think he said as soon as they finished, it was time to start again. At least it was guaranteed employment 🤣 Here’s a piece of interesting info from the NSW government website: The Bridge, which weighs 52,800 tonnes and is the widest and tallest arch bridge in the world, takes thirty years to paint and involves four coats of paint, each a slightly different shade. The final coat is the heritage-listed Sydney Harbour Bridge Grey. 5 Dec 2024
I’m old, I get fascinated by all sorts of things, I’m forever going down internet rabbit holes. When I was a child we could see the bridge from the upstairs balcony of our terrace house in the Sydney suburb of Paddington. That was before the AMP building existed which is regarded as Sydney’s first skyscraper. It wasn’t long before the view of the bridge disappeared behind all the buildings.
Bridge climbing was illegal for a long time but people used to do it anyway, you had to get around locked gates and barbed wire barriers but it was possible. It was a bit of a uni (college) student thing. Then they kitted the bridge out for paid tours and the illegal stuff went away.
If the Bridge Climb is a bit expensive for you, there is a public walkway at road level on the Opera House side of the bridge. And there is a bike path on the western side. Both cost nothing. The view isn't quite as spectacular as from the top of the arch, but it is still good. There is also the Pylon Lookout at the southern end of the arch that you enter from the public walkway. It isn't free, but cheaper than the Bridge Climb. Or you can catch a train over the Bridge to Milsons Point or North Sydney Stations.
Its the same bridge that has the spectacular fireworks, televised globally, on NYE. Surely you've seen it before, Ryan. FYI Bridge climb launched in 1998. You can walk across it for free, thanks to a protected walking path.
They never stop painting the bridge. They start at one end and when they finished they start again. Paul Hogan who famously in an add said 'shrimp on the barbie' Was a painter on the bridge before he got famous
That's a myth re the painting, if only they did paint it as you stated, it's rusty as these days, drive across it daily. Also PH was actually a rigger, not a painter. He did a publicity shot painting once, but he was a rigger.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge was built by the British company Dorman Long and Co Ltd. The bridge was designed by Dr. John Bradfield, an Australian engineer who worked for the New South Wales Department of Public Works.
Not strictly correct. Tenders were called for a bridge design - approx 20 tenders were received. (One of the tenders was identical to the Story Bridge in Brisbane built years later). Bradfield was involved in selecting the winning design but the actual calculations, plans and execution of the design was done by Dorman Long -- not Bradfield. A structure of this size required a large team of engineers, draftsmen, and workers not one person. The design concept being an arch bridge.
I have not climbed the bridge as I am not good with heights. Although I have been to the top of Jung Frau in Switzerland and did not have an issue until I stepped on the grate with a shear drop below.
Ryan, we write the speed limits on the roads in Oz. So you don't get distracted looking for dinky little speed signs on the road side. But in this case it's numbering the lane markings.
I climb the bridge years ago. You do wear those out fits up there it’s to stop you from dropping things onto the road. You also go through a mini bridge corse first before climbing the bridge.
There are some rules to climb the bridge only for safety wise. 1. You can't take anything. 2. You get breath tested for alcohol 3. You wear overalls. Moat probably there would be others that I don't know.
Did the climb about 20 years ago… very expensive. Better option to just to walk across the footpath for free. Yes, we all need to get changed into a grey jumpsuit and not have anything to carry. Including no phone and camera. But they took a photo of the group at the top which we needed to pay for.
Just to add that the cost of climbing across the arch is exorbitant. It's much cheaper to climb one of the pylons, and nothing at all to walk across at road level. The view is not as great of course but it's still pretty good. An enjoyable outing is to walk across the Bridge, have something to eat at the little village at the foot of the northern end, walk the short distance to a wharf to take a ferry back to the City.
Speaking of women and their role in the making the Harbour Bridge- you should look up Kathleen Butler- nicknamed Godmother of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and also Bridge Girl. She was involved in every aspect of design and planning, and her plans were ultimately used for the construction of the cantilever bridge. Despite being called a “secretary” at the time, she was later recognised for doing the work of an engineer and her role was so critical that many have said that without her the project may not have even been completed.
It would be nice if you were a man.
Why? @@gamingtonight1526
Paul Hogan, who played and co-wrote Crocodile Dundee, was a rigger on the Sydney Harbour Bridge for many years before becoming a comedian and then an actor. It's 100 year anniversary is coming up in 2032...... makes you realise how young our country really is in a lot of ways.
Facts 💯
19 March 1932 - I arrived in North Sydney exactly 21 years later 😊
@TransformNatch4U my Pop worked on the bridge.
He was a rigger not a painter, they did some publicity shots of him painting, but he's a rigger.
The uniform isn’t just for the bridge climb workers, it’s for all climbers. It’s to not distract the drivers below. As someone who drives over the Harbour Bridge often enough, I am grateful!
Its not about getting old Ryan.
Its about maturing ... You're a Father now.
I'm a Grandfather and fascinated by things now that I've never considered before ... Enjoy every stage of your life Ol'Mate !
I am 71, but I am not a grandparent - though I am a Mum to twins and their older sister...but neither twin seeks parenthood, being both gay might have something to do with that, my son has a live-in partner but his sister lives with me (and is my full-time carer). My eldest daughter will be 37 in February so if she plans to become a parent, she's leaving it a tad late. I was 33 when I had her, I was 39 when I had my first set of twins, Philip lived 6 hrs, Marianne lived 12 hrs and I was 40 when my second set of twins were born...so maybe my eldest has a few years left?!
My great grandfather helped build it. We have the photo of him with his work gear on the bridge.
My friend's bought me a bridge climb, so I'm taking the photo so I can take him back on the bridge again 😊
When my family arrived in June 1970 our ship berthed at the Opera House. It was surreal for a pommie family coming on a 2 year stay. We stayed forever. I was 14 years old. Still in Australia. But chose a cooler climate in Tassie.
Best place to be!
legendary!
Shoutout from Tassie!
I installed the wire that makes people not fall off.
Way to go!
Cheers
Thank you!
Buy this man a beer 👍🤣🍻
Good stuff Ian. The not fall off wire is a good idea. But hang on how did you not fall off while installing the not fall off wire?
Never been anywhere near it but I have fallen off, so top job👍
The other major bridge in Sydney, the ANZAC Bridge, flies an Australian flag and a New Zealand flag. The bridge commemorates the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers who fought as a joint force in World War One.
The OTHER major bridge? There are three massive bridges. You forget the Gladesville Bridge is one of the great bridges - was the longest concrete arch in the world. The first concrete span over 300 meters in length, the first bridge in the world designed on a computer, and with seven lanes of traffic it is almost as wide as the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Because of its height it has been called the road over the sky. It is just as much an engineering marvel as the Harbour Bridge, and more so than the ANZAC bridge.
@@artistjoh Oh, I wasn't intending to post a complete geographic tour of Sydney crossings, but so that you will rest easier, "Another major bridge..." or if you now feel feel aggrieved by the description "major" lets just settle on "Another bridge..."!
@ I just find it sad that other bridges get all the attention when I think that the Gladesville Bridge is so beautiful and amazing that it needs to get more attention than it does.. It deserves a few tourists going out of their way to admire that huge arch, so I am not so much aggrieved, as merely willing to sing its praises.
@@artistjoh Fair enough! ☺
My Dad emigrated from Scotland by himself at the age of 10 and saw the bridge being joined as he arrived, which I believe was 1932. He lived with an Aunt and Uncle who only wanted a servant and stayed there until he objected to the Uncle's violent behaviour to his Aunt and was evicted. He became a Mechanical Engineer at Mt Morgan mines and later Mt. Isa during WW2 and despite trying to enlist twice and being rejected for being in an essential industry, was later ridiculed for not having served. We sometimes don't realise how well off we are by comparison!! G'day from the Sunshine Coast , Qld, Australia where it's 36C today!!!!!.
I love to hear these real life immigrant stories because I think they should never be forgotten and you are right- we don't know how lucky we are. My family is almost the UN big mix of nationalities - no Aussie tho, although when I was young, my parents were seriously thinking about immigrating. I now live in Spain, tho. I'd love to visit your country but I don't see it happening yet ( money and time as usual). So, I get my travel and culture " fixes " this way.
My Dad had the same problem of being in an essential industry. He was 14 when the war started and tried to enlist as soon as he was old enough but couldn’t. Sadly one of those who taunted him about not serving was his own father who enlisted in the Air Force as soon as the war started and left my 14 year old father to be “man of the house’ to his mother and six siblings.
Seriously it’s got to be one of the most beautiful human creations ever.
Plot twist, he has already moved to Australia and is recording this in his Sydney condo.
You mentioned 16 worker deaths during construction, that's nothing compared to the 35 unfortunate lives lost during the construction of our Westgate Bridge here in Melbourne on October 15, 1970, and at the time considered and probably still is one of the worst industrial disasters in Australia's history...A big shout-out to all the men and women involved in building all of Australia's "Mega-Projects" over the years, and RIP to all of the proud lives taken in the process...
My husband did the walk at age about 75 in 2009 with his grandson 💖
What a fantastic memory for them both!
Cheers
Fun fact! The Sydney Harbour Bridge is believed by many to be based off of the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle England but it was actually designed based off of the Hells Gate Bridge in NYC.
The centre lane on the bridge is reversible so in the morning it heads towards the cbd and afternoon back out. It’s known as the suicide lane as there are no dividers and Sydney lanes are narrow.
Fun Fact: The Hells Gate rail bridge was very famous for being the longest steel arch in the world at the time, at 310 meters (just 5 meters longer than the Gladesville Bridge) and two bridges were designed and built based on the Hells Gate arch at roughly the same time. The Bayonne Bridge started planning in 1921 and the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1922. The Bayonne Bridge was completed one year before the Sydney Harbour Bridge and golden scissors were made to cut the ribbon for the Bayonne Bridge in New York, and then sent to Australia to cut the ribbon on the Harbour Bridge.
Both Bayonne and Sydney far exceeded Hells Gate, with both setting records over 500 meters. The Bayonne is slightly longer than Sydney Harbour, but is half the width and used only 16,000 tons of steel, while the Sydney Harbour Bridge used 39,000 tons. Of the three the Sydney Harbour Bridge is by far the most beautiful. Hells Gate is stolid in comparison, and the Bayonne Bridge has a visual mismatch between the road and the arch. A lot of the beauty of the Harbour Bridge is due to the Art Deco ancient Egyptian-style granite pylons. They were not part of the original design, but were added to make the bridge look stronger following a major bridge collapse overseas, and the public expressing concerns about safety.
To build the pylons, a town was built near Marouya to house Australian, Scottish, and Italian stone masons. They quarried the stone, then dressed and finished the stones, numbered them, and they arrived in Sydney to be assembled like a giant puzzle.
Those pylons served no practical purpose other than to make the bridge look impressive, and to convey the sense of beauty, strength, and endurance of ancient Egyptian temple pylons. In that they were worth every penny of the massive amount of money it took to build them.
Fun Fact: the Tyne Bridge (aka King George V Bridge) in Newcastle England was designed based on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but because the Tyne Bridge is smaller it was completed a few years before Sydney. Also the building company for Sydney Harbour Bridge (Dorman Long & Co) also built the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle.
@@mysticalmatt4130 In that case, the Tyne Bridge would be the third bridge that was ultimately derived from the revolutionary (for the time) Hells Gate Bridge in New York. Is the Tyne Bridge the one that is painted green?
@@artistjoh Sure is the green one. There's a nice pub under the Tyne Bridge too, great beers and delicious food.
@ I will be sure to try that pub under the bridge if I ever get there :)
Hi mate, hope you;re not too cold. beautiful sunshine down here. do you know why we love you,,, YOU ARE ALWAYS SO RESPECTFUL> thank you.
I climbed the bridge with my cousin who was visiting from the USA. It is a fabulous experience.
My brother in law was a bridge painter in the 80’s. Because they has to climb off the bridge for morning tea, lunch and arvo’s they only actually painted for about 4 hrs from 8.
I learn a lot about Australia from your channel Ryan And from the comments. I'm an Aussie!!!
I remember my dad telling me about being at the bridge opening. He was 12 back in 1932.
I was at the opening of the Opera House and got to sing in it with the combined schools choir.
@Kev_Newman I saw the opening of the Opera House on tv as a young kid who'd just moved to Sydney from Brisbane. Always remember thousands of helium balloons being released. Also sang in a combined schools choir with the Marist Brothers Festival in 1982. Cheers !!
The two flags on the top of the bridge are the Australian and New South Wales flags. These days, it’s usually the Australian and Aboriginal flags that are are flown together.
My mum along with thousand others walked across the bridge the day it opened.❤
Not only amazing architecture, but amazing engineering as well. I went on the catwalk and to the top of the north tower when I was working on the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. Fun fact. One of the vents for the tunnel is on top of the north tower of the bridge.
I climbed the bridge with my cousin who was visiting from the USA. It is a fabulous experience.
My brother in law was a bridge painter in the 80’s. Because they has to climb off the bridge for morning tea, lunch and arvo’s they only actually painted for about 4 hrs from 8.
The business that installed the climb and purchased all the safety equipment was out bid at tender and lost the contract.
I hated that for them. I think the original owners were ripped off.
Yeah. They only had the contract for a set period. I'm sure they made a profit. Scenic World (Katoomba skyway, railway, cableway) won the contract to operate the Bridge Climb.
That is not a worker. That is what you have to wear to do the climb.
He's just a dumb-arse!
It s a beautiful view but I can't stand heights so no going up there for me. Brave of the people who go up and put the fireworks in place up there every year.
I agree, I was getting chills just watching the video.
For you Ryan, the bridge climb will be free. I will happily shout you
My grandmother and her parents were some of the 1st to set foot on that bridge when it opened to the public.
She was 6yrs old at the time.
Yep, defiantly a very expensive exercise. But is it worth it? The site of Luna Park on the northwestern side was the supply depot. The granite for each tower was barged all the way up from Moruya. 250 stonemasons were used to quarry the stone for the bridge. The same granite is in the General Post Office in Martin Place, and the base of the Captain Cook statue in Hyde Park.
And the same stone was used for the beautiful Northbridge Suspension Bridge too, further into the Northern Shore! Where I used to live! 😍
To paraphrase Crocodile Dundee "that's not a bridge" (showing Melbourne Westgate Bridge) "that's a bridge!"😊
Full respect to the mighty Melbourne Westgate Bridge (and its tragic backstory). Westgate road deck is indeed higher, and the overall length is longer. However SHB's central road deck spans 503 metres while Westgate's central span is 336 metres. The tallest part of Westgate is the towers at 102 metres. The tallest part of Sydney Harbour Bridge is the top of the arch (the top chord) at 134 metres. Westgate is 37.3 metres wide, Sydney Harbour Bridge is 49 metres wide, and includes two train lines. So yes, the Westgate Bridge is one of Australia's iconic bridges, and when it comes to representing Australia on the global stage it's generally Sydney Harbour Bridge positioned near Sydney Opera House on the magnificent Sydney Harbour. You guys in Melbourne have Flinders Street Station and the Twelve Apostles along the Great Ocean Road. Cheers mate !!
@@mysticalmatt4130 I travelled over the Westgate Bridge not that long after it reopened when I was on holidays with my family. It's certainly an impressive piece of engineering, The Westgate Bridge doesn't dominate the landscape like the SHB does. Different times, different engineering solutions. Most of the time, you don't even notice it when in Melbourne, unless you know where to look. Melbourne is very flat compared to Sydney though.
I climbed the Sydney Harbour bridge in 2000 when I went to Sydney for the Olympic Games. It is well worth the climbed. I find it an Interesting fact that Paul Hogan was a painter on the bridge.
YT doesn't allow outside links, The Birchenough Bridge in Southern Rhodesia where I lived until I left at 17 years old to study in Austria. As a child, the first time aged just 4 years old, my father, who was a hydro geologist, relented agreeing to take me on a field trip to the Sabi Valley that would last 5 days on just one condition:- That I would not speak i.e.(/open my mouth/complain) unless given permission. I agreed, my mother was horrified. I was woken up well before dawn, we set out in the big (to me) truck, a Fargo, 1950s (BTW, that heavy truck ended up washed away years later, by that same Sabi River, my father surviving by climbing a thorn tree) and I sat watching the sun come up, the landscape changing, the relatively flat to hills to mountains in the distance. I did not need to speak, I was in awe of all that I saw, even a herd of Springbok, I dared not make a sound, but my father saw my glee and told me what they were and I was allowed to talk and ask questions. We arrived in Umtali and stopped at a hotel for a light breakfast. The shops had opened, my father bought a Little Golden Book. And from there for the rest of the long journey that crossed The Birchenough Bridge, almost identical to the Sydney Bridge, designed by the same bloke but in the middle of nowhere in Africa, completed quicker, my father began teaching me to read.
Quote from Wonders of the World Engineering: A SPAN OF 1,080 FEET carries the road across the River Sabi, near the towns of Chipingi and Umtali, Southern Rhodesia. The Birchenough Bridge shortens the journey from Chipingi to Bulawayo by 150 miles, and has made it possible to travel by road from Capetown to the Congo in all seasons. Before the bridge was built a detour of 600 miles was necessary.
Lawrence Ennis and Dorman Long. They also had just built the Tyne Bridge in the UK, so had some experience with steel arch bridges. JJC Bradfield was the chief engineer on the project, and was the one to recommend a steel arch bridge, after seeing the Hell Gate Bridge in New York.
I have a commemorative booklet from my Grandfather about the bridge opening. He had a friend that used to feed the cats in the stone columns. They were apparently very famous cats in Sydney at the time.
I had a job once which I had to take a train over the bridge to get to. Grew up in the western suburbs so I was star-struck like a tourist every time lol
A bit of trivia in 1932 when the Sydney Harbour bridge was first opened Premier of New South Wales Jack Lang was supposed to cut the ribbon for its grand opening, instead Francis De Groot, a member of a right-wing militia group rode up on a horse and cut it with a sword in protest As he thought It should be done by the Governor general in representation of Great Britain
A little story on the bridge: my sister's mother-in-law watched the bridge being build from her home on the shores of Sydney Harbour and was one of the first to walk over it before traffic was permitted. She was 100 when she passed and her ashes were spread over Sydney Harbour.
Ryan, take note at 2:46 … the width of the deck (160 ft) is just 1 foot shorter than the distance from the deck to the water below (161 ft). An interesting factoid when you see the bridge from the side, that’s basically how wide it is.
I did the climb back in the 90's
couldn't forget it if I wanted too!!!!
cheap at twice the price !!
We like your "fun facts" Ryan 😂. Oh and your technical commentary 🤣🤣🤣
It was built during the depression, and there was no Occupational health and safety. There was a ready supply of workers to replace anyone who died. One man survived a fall.
My dad and his mate did a 'bridge climb' over the top arch, as 16 year olds, not long after it opened, and when security was somewhat looser. The were met by a couple of Police officers at the far end, who "vigorously suggested" it wasn't a good idea, but took no further action. Ah, for the days when such naughtiness was passed of as "the exuberance of youth".
It is an incredible structure, The Coathangar! I have walked across it many times via the pedestrian lane, but will never be climbing over the top - thank you for showing me the views! This didn't show the sandstone pillar stairway entry to get onto the bridge, which includes photographs and history! 😵👍
I'm no fan of heights, and some parts of the climb make your legs feel like lead ... especially that 'catwalk' section at 2:07 ... the first time you see down from a massive height, and you're not even on the top section yet.
@mysticalmatt4130 I am not either, that's too high for me, I definitely prefer the view from the train!
I gave this to my son as a present when he turned 13 and the whole group sang Happy Birthday to him at the top of the bridge!
Talk about memorable!!!
He’ll NEVER forget it.
Well done.
Cheers
Lovely!
They have a plaque on the bridge honouring the people who died constructing the bridge. If you are ever lucky enough to come to Sydney and do the climb, do the twilight one that way you get to experience it in daylight, twilight and night during the climb. You can also visit the south-east pylon lookout which is much cheaper and still a pretty good view
Ryan, when you come to Sydney you can avoid the huge cost of Bridgeclimb by simply using the pedestrian pathway on the eastern side of the bridge, the side facing the opera House. That pedestrian pathway is FREE and is an easy and safe walk with stairs or a lift (elevator) to get you from street level up to the pathway. A bonus feature of the Bridge’s pedestrian pathway is the South Eastern Pylon, which contains a museum and an observation deck with magnificent views. Unfortunately, it is stairs access only up inside the pylon to the museum and observation deck. The fee to go up that pylon is tiny compared with what Bridgeclimb charges and the views are nearly as good. It’s also nowhere near as scary, even for someone as scared of heights as I am.
My uncles went down to the bridge when the two halves were joined. It a huge event with final alignment of the rivet holes relying on falling nighttime temperatures. Achieved without the use of computers
The sails of the Sydney Opera House does not make a sphere when connected. It was designed as pieces of a sphere (an orange) but when they started construction, they realised that they would have fallen over if built that way and the design had to be modified.
More than 750,000 people gathered around the harbour for the official opening event. The bridge was to be opened by the New South Wales Premier, Jack Lang. Before Lang could cut the ribbon and declare the bridge open, Francis De Groot, a member of the ultra-right-wing New Guard group, rode a borrowed horse out of the crowd and slashed the ribbon with his cavalry sword.
De Groot was arrested. Lang cut a new ribbon, the bridge was declared open, and a public bridge walk took place. De Groot was fined £5.
It's not architecture, it's engineering.
We did the climb. It's fantastic!
The Opera House 'shells' do not make a sphere. The idea for their engineering came from segments of a fruit which allowed them to apply the architects concept mathematically. So, the shells are formed from the segmented shapes of a sphere - but together, they dont form a sphere.
3:04. Those are the lane numbers. It's for peak hour (rush hour). I believe the two inner lanes (3 & 4) are the alternate lanes for the peak periods
I did this climb in 2012, at the time, they also provided you with a radio where you could listen to them talk about the history of the bridge while you climbed it. Once your at the top, there's an option to get a photo of you at the top that you can purchase to keep. Brisbane's Story Bridge also has a bridge climb.
Brisbane's climb is on my list to do. Bradfield was instrumental in getting both the Sydney Harbour and Brisbane's Story Bridge constructed. The Bradfield Highway is the name of the roadway across both bridges.
The original bridge is in the town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne right on the English/Scottish border. Its design was directly taken from that bridge where my mum grew up. 🤙😎🇦🇺
I have seen pictures of THAT bridge, and wondered if, this was the case !! Interesting !
@ the one in Newcastle-Upton-Tyne is exactly the same only a lot smaller 😉🤙
Yes but not on the English Scottish border.
Both bridges were designed by Dorman long company Middlesbrough England.
One flag was bought with blood, the other was bought for $ 27 million.
As somebody else said recently, there in only one flag.
Ryan, completely legal but expensive tourist attraction to climb the bridge, nicknamed "the coat hanger", but it is interesting they are filming as I believe the bridge is a "no drop zone" and you have to wear the climb's jump suits and carry nothing, no cameras, wallets, hand bags etc in case something is dropped onto a vehicle below causing an accident. Ohh and you can not jump off either, you are attached to the bridge with a harness system
I thought exactly the same thing. Maybe a go-pro? But it looks like go-pros are also banned. Maybe they arranged a separate media filming permit or similar.
Walk across it cost=$0.00
My great uncle (mothers uncle) actually helped build the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Paul Hogan famously was a Painter on the Bridge. There are definitely interviews where he tells his story. There is an episode of "This is Your Life" about Paul Hogan, possibly two!
Hello Ryan see if you can find the footage of the two spans finally being joined, is really great to watch.
Damn mate the bit knowledge you have about something added with your logic almost always hits the nail on the head
My Grandfather helped build the Harbour Bridge.
My stepfather came over from Spain in the 60’s & his first job was a painter on the Sydney Harbour Bridge (like Paul Hogan). It was a long term job, took years to paint from one end to the other. I think he said as soon as they finished, it was time to start again. At least it was guaranteed employment 🤣
Here’s a piece of interesting info from the NSW government website:
The Bridge, which weighs 52,800 tonnes and is the widest and tallest arch bridge in the world, takes thirty years to paint and involves four coats of paint, each a slightly different shade. The final coat is the heritage-listed Sydney Harbour Bridge Grey.
5 Dec 2024
I’m old, I get fascinated by all sorts of things, I’m forever going down internet rabbit holes. When I was a child we could see the bridge from the upstairs balcony of our terrace house in the Sydney suburb of Paddington. That was before the AMP building existed which is regarded as Sydney’s first skyscraper. It wasn’t long before the view of the bridge disappeared behind all the buildings.
Bridge climbing was illegal for a long time but people used to do it anyway, you had to get around locked gates and barbed wire barriers but it was possible. It was a bit of a uni (college) student thing.
Then they kitted the bridge out for paid tours and the illegal stuff went away.
If the Bridge Climb is a bit expensive for you, there is a public walkway at road level on the Opera House side of the bridge. And there is a bike path on the western side. Both cost nothing. The view isn't quite as spectacular as from the top of the arch, but it is still good. There is also the Pylon Lookout at the southern end of the arch that you enter from the public walkway. It isn't free, but cheaper than the Bridge Climb. Or you can catch a train over the Bridge to Milsons Point or North Sydney Stations.
Worth every cent
Its the same bridge that has the spectacular fireworks, televised globally, on NYE. Surely you've seen it before, Ryan.
FYI Bridge climb launched in 1998. You can walk across it for free, thanks to a protected walking path.
They never stop painting the bridge. They start at one end and when they finished they start again. Paul Hogan who famously in an add said 'shrimp on the barbie' Was a painter on the bridge before he got famous
That's a myth re the painting, if only they did paint it as you stated, it's rusty as these days, drive across it daily. Also PH was actually a rigger, not a painter. He did a publicity shot painting once, but he was a rigger.
Sorry to be picky but at 00:20 it's engineering, not architecture.
The flags on the Harbour Bridge are the Australian National flag and the NSW State flag.
Cleveland Bridge and Dorman Long continued the British tradition of being the best bridge builders in the world.
Happy Arvo Ryan🥰👍
Love the translate to English which shows under that.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge was built by the British company Dorman Long and Co Ltd. The bridge was designed by Dr. John Bradfield, an Australian engineer who worked for the New South Wales Department of Public Works.
Not strictly correct. Tenders were called for a bridge design - approx 20 tenders were received. (One of the tenders was identical to the Story Bridge in Brisbane built years later). Bradfield was involved in selecting the winning design but the actual calculations, plans and execution of the design was done by Dorman Long -- not Bradfield. A structure of this size required a large team of engineers, draftsmen, and workers not one person. The design concept being an arch bridge.
I have not climbed the bridge as I am not good with heights. Although I have been to the top of Jung Frau in Switzerland and did not have an issue until I stepped on the grate with a shear drop below.
Ryan, we write the speed limits on the roads in Oz. So you don't get distracted looking for dinky little speed signs on the road side. But in this case it's numbering the lane markings.
I climb the bridge years ago. You do wear those out fits up there it’s to stop you from dropping things onto the road. You also go through a mini bridge corse first before climbing the bridge.
The numbers are the lane markings. Lane 1, Lane 2, etc.
There are some rules to climb the bridge only for safety wise.
1. You can't take anything.
2. You get breath tested for alcohol
3. You wear overalls.
Moat probably there would be others that I don't know.
The Hell Gate Rail Bridge in New York State was the inspiration for the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The Flag with the 'red' you can see is the New South Wales State Flag with it's own insignia as opposed to the Southern Cross on the National Flag.
My husband has done one of the Sydney bridge climbs. Not worker clothes, all climbers must wear those protective suits.
The other flag you saw in the image was the aboriginal flag which is sometimes flown on the bridge. It is yellow, black and red
You may have been better advised to have watched a video on the construction of the bridge and what happened at its official opening. Quite a story.
That's why you get paid the big bucks, Ryan. 👍
The numbers on the roadway are used to guide motorists to the correct exit from the Bridge for their destination
More simply.....the lanes are numbered 1 to 8 from the railway side.
went to see it in 1994 on a tour trip from the UK to NZ
My mum was at school and Fromm class room watched it being built
7:25 ''...that was propably 40 Au$... 4 yrs ago...'' lol you had me there Ryan...
The idea of a third flagpole was suggested but knocked back for the multi million price tag
hello from germany, i am close to 40 and i love bridges and trains
Did the climb about 20 years ago… very expensive. Better option to just to walk across the footpath for free.
Yes, we all need to get changed into a grey jumpsuit and not have anything to carry. Including no phone and camera. But they took a photo of the group at the top which we needed to pay for.
Queen Mary 2 alongside the overseas passenger terminal at Circular Quay.
I think the left flag on the bridge was the Flag of New South Wales. Bridge Climb is a commercial tourism venture.
They change the direction of traffic flow on the bridge depending on the time of day.
It seems nearly everyone here & Ryan, do not know the Sydney Harbour Bridge is based on a very similar bridge named Hellsgate bridge in New York.
That price has sky rocketed since we did it
The two flags are NSW & Australian .
Just to add that the cost of climbing across the arch is exorbitant. It's much cheaper to climb one of the pylons, and nothing at all to walk across at road level. The view is not as great of course but it's still pretty good. An enjoyable outing is to walk across the Bridge, have something to eat at the little village at the foot of the northern end, walk the short distance to a wharf to take a ferry back to the City.
You can also do the pillars climb on the bridge
Absolutely worth doing the climb. ( except if you fear heights 😂)