by Steven Lynch at Sydney
Friday, January 3, 2002

When you shuffle onto one of Sydney's famous ferries, down at Circular Quay, after first gawping at the Opera House you can't help but look up at the Harbour Bridge. It dominates the skyline. And if you squint at it you spot what seems to be a line of ants, inching towards the summit of the old coat-hanger's arch.

Actually they're the bridge-climbers, carefully shepherded in groups of a dozen or so, enjoying what viewers of BBC's Holiday programme recently voted one of the top ten tourist experiences in the world. The official climb started around five years ago, although a few unofficial ascents – braving the barbed wire and the millions of rivets – were contrived over the years, despite the threat of a hefty fine and an even heftier drop.

The whole climb takes around three hours. You're kitted out in a nifty grey romper suit, given a pep talk and a spot of training, and breathalysed. Everything loose – hats, change, sunglasses, or anything else that might plummet onto the cars on the roadway far beneath you – is removed or tied down. Then you're clipped on to a static line firmly attached to the superstructure of this super structure, and you're off, with only your guide and fellow climbers for company. A friend of mine had a cousin who did this during the 2000 Olympics, and his nearest companion on the day was a similarly manacled Kylie Minogue. Which must have been worth $A150 of anyone's money. Despite loitering outside the entrance for, oh, only about five hours, there was no sign of the "wonder-bummed warbler", as the Daily Mail dubbed her last year, so I went in anyway.

My companions were three Japanese, three Indians, two Poms and a Frenchman (although, in these times of European harmony, perhaps he should be called a Pomme). The guide was a New Zealander, which cut down the number of bad cricket jokes. A little.

It's not a simple stroll in the park, which adds to the atmosphere. You step through narrow passageways, over bulkheads, under arches. You drag your mountaineering line after you, clicking it through junctions, and up narrow metal ladders. It's mildly exerting, and wildly exhilarating.

If you're lucky enough to hit a fine day you take a breather around 400 feet up, above the green-and-gold ferries that now look like children's toys. The Opera House seems to be made out of Lego. The massive harbour – first-time visitors are usually astonished by its sheer size – stretches out on both sides, in that improbably bright-blue colour usually reserved for picture postcards and cheesy calendars. Those Holiday programme voters were right. The Sydney Bridgeclimb is definitely not to be missed, even if it is a bit pricey and the chances of assisting Kylie up ladders are, sadly, somewhat slim.

Steven Lynch is editor of Wisden.com.

For further details see www.bridgeclimb.com.au.

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