My Sydney Harbor Bridge climb began with a breathalyzer test!!
That meant I was about to do something pretty reckless, I figured!
It took an hour for our group of 14 to be fully kitted with overalls, harnesses, headlamps for our descent in the dark, radios and headphones to hear our guides instructions, a hanky to wipe our sweaty brows, and a jacket for the cold!
We had a practice run in the warehouse on climbing with our harnesses attached to the thick steel rope cable that would catch us if we fell!!
And the we were off, Mandy leading us and filling our heads with innumerable facts about the fascinating history of the construction of this amazing bridge, affectionately known as The Iron Lung because of the life it breathed into the 1800 construction workers who were employed for 9 years during Australia's worst depression in the 1920's.
it contains 6 million hand drilled rivets.
It's the worlds largest steel arch bridge.
It is to Australia what the Statue of Liberty is to the States. For many generations it was the sign of freedom and new beginnings for those immigrants making the long journey across the ocean!
We climbed a total of 1500 odd steps to the top for breathtaking views of the city as the sun was setting in a blaze of orange and pink splendor!
The weather was perfect and I so longed for my camera which we were not allowed to bring along as a safety measure to avoid anything dropping down onto the 8 rows of traffic streaming across the bridge way below us.
A great experience!