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Australia’s Iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge

Date : 22 Oct 2018
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The Sydney Harbour Bridge was first opened in 1932, the bridge connects the Sydney Central Business District with the North Shore of the city, and is the gateway to Sydney Harbour. Everywhere one turns, it is impossible to avoid seeing this amazing architectural phenomenon.

Australia’s Iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge

© Nyker1 | Dreamstime.com

The History

The idea of a bridge was first considered in 1815. Initially, the submissions were called with the plan. Unfortunately, all submissions were rejected at the time due to lack of strong proposal. Till 20-25 years the authorities could not find the proper firm to build the great architecture and finally it was given to an English Firm. Finally, Construction began in 1924. It took 1400 men 8 years and approximately AUD $4.2 million to complete the bridge.

Technical Facts

    1. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a spectacular feat of engineering. It is the world’s tallest steel arch bridge and a vital link in Sydney’s transport infrastructure.
    2.  More than 2,00,000 cars travel the bridge each day. 
    3. Its total length is 1149 meters 
    4. Its arch span is 503 meters. 
    5. The top of the arch is 134 meters above sea level 
    6. It carries eight vehicle lanes, two train lines, a footway, and a cycle path.
    7. It contains 6 million hand driven rivets. 

Australia’s Iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge

© Lennykphotography | Dreamstime.com

Some Interesting Facts

  1. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the world’s largest bridge
  2. The Bridge has huge hinges to absorb the expansion caused by the hot Sydney sun.
  3. In 1932, 96 steam locomotives were positioned in various ways to test the load capacity of the Bridge.
  4. Several planes have been known to fly under the Bridge. In 1942, the Dutch flew three aircraft under the bridge in the formation and then circled back to do another flight under the bridge in a single line
  5. The surface area that requires painting is equal to about the surface area of 60 sports fields. The Bridge required 272,000 liters of paint to receive its initial three coats.
  6. All the steel used to build the Harbour Bridge weighs 52,800 tonnes. 
  7. 16 people died in the construction of the bridge. 
  8.  It took 55 years to pay off. 
  9. The bridge’s design was influenced by the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City.
  10.  In June 1976, the one-billionth vehicle crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. 
  11.  The toll fee for a car used to be 6 pence. Today the fee for a car is $3.00.
  12.  To walk over the Sydney Harbour Bridge takes 15 minutes.
  13. The Tyne Bridge in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England is a much smaller version of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. There is much controversy surrounding the two bridges as to which one may have been a model for the other.

Whether you’re traveling through Sydney on a stopover or exploring the city as part of a luxurious Australian vacation, you’ll come across Sydney Harbour Bridge and you should. As I said earlier, this amazing architectural phenomenon is impossible to overlook.

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