In December, 2024 I went on a holiday to Sydney and climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was a really awesome experience and I loved it so much.
My mum, dad and sister went with me. We were staying in the city and got an Uber to the Bridge Climb Sydney office, which didn't take long. You can catch a train or a bus and walk there. It is very central, in The Rocks area. There's information on the website about how to get there.
When we arrived we spoke to a man named Peter. He had talked to Mum on the phone when she booked us in a few weeks before. Peter came out and met us and asked me if I was excited to do the bridge climb and if I needed anything. It was very nice to meet him and he said he hoped I would love my climb. The lady working on the desk was very friendly too.
Peter organised our tickets and then we had some free time before it was our turn.
There are different climbs you can choose from and we did the Summit climb. It takes 3 hours altogether, which includes 2 hours on the bridge. There are always different deals on the website and we were lucky because our climb time included a free meal at the Harbour View Hotel, which is next to the bridge, for the day of our climb. They have other deals for families, locals, large groups or sometimes for school holiday dates. They also have a post climb deal that you can climb again within 12 months of your first climb and get a 40% discount.
We looked around Arichie's shop and cafe area and bought some souvenirs. They had lots of nice things like T-shirts, drink bottles, drink coolers, Christmas decorations, postcards, tea towels, notebooks, soaps, candles and jigsaw puzzles.
You can also buy a drink or some food to eat while you wait for your climb or after you finish. There were toilets there too.
When it was time for our climb we went upstairs to get ready. There is a great model of The Sydney Harbour Bridge you can look at. Mum showed me where we would climb on the model so I knew where we were going.
The first thing we did for our climb was go into a room where we sat down and found out some information about the climb. Some groups can have up to 14 people in them but we were lucky and there was only our family in our group. We heard about some of the safety rules and had to do a breathalyser test so they knew we were under the 0.05 alcohol limit.
Then we all got a suit to put on and had to put our phones, watches, jewellery and anything else that is loose in our backpacks and put them in a locker. We could take sunglasses if we wanted because they had special cords to attach them to our suits and they gave us some very nice hats to wear on the climb and we got to keep them. The suit was pretty cool and felt very comfortable to wear. It was loose and made of light material. It was pretty easy to put on and had a big zip to do up in the front.
Before we started the climb we went into a big room and met our climb leader. Her name was Gisele and she was very awesome and friendly. She helped us get our harnesses and our headsets on. We wore headsets so we could hear her because it is sometimes loud with the traffic noise and the wind. Gisele told us about what we would do on the climb and helped us practice going up and down some stairs and ladders that are just like the ones they have on the bridge. We had to go up and down facing the ladder steps and hold with one hand all the time. Gisele showed us how to do it first and then we all had a turn. She was very patient and explained everything well. It was good to practice first so we knew what to do.
The first part of the climb is the underneath part. It's very flat and easy to walk on.
After walking along the underneath part you go up some stairs and ladders to the level at the top of the pillars and then you start walking up the side of the bridge all the way to the top. There are a lot of stairs but Gisele stopped a lot so we could have a rest and look at the view. She told us a lot of information about how they built the bridge and we could ask questions. Gisele also took a lot of photos of us because we bought the photo package. I thought the climb was easy to do. It was good to have the hats to wear because the sun was very bright.
The views of Sydney were fantastic and the Opera House was my favourite building.
I liked being up high and it was a very nice sunny day so we were very happy.
I really liked meeting Gisele and she told us a lot of interesting things about some of the places we could see in Sydney.
There was some misty clouds near the buildings and over the water and it looked very cool.
Once we reached the summit, which is the top of the bridge, we had a nice rest and looked around at everything. I liked looking down at the 8 lanes of traffic and the train line that is underneath too.
We stayed up the top for a while enjoying the scenery and Gisele took more photos of us. Then we started walking down the other side of the bridge. It was easier going down and didn't take long at all. There were some parts where we had to be careful not to bump our head when we went through some small walkways but it wasn't scary.
Our Summit Climb had 1,332 steps.
After we finished the climb experience I liked having a photo with this awesome sign.
When we finished we went to the Harbour View Hotel to have our lunch, which was very nice because we could see the bridge and other people still who were doing the Bridge Climb were walking by. We sat out the front but you can also sit on the Rooftop or inside if you want to.
We walked through The Rocks on our way to Circular Quay. It was very nice and when we got there we took some photos and looked at how high we had walked.
It was so great because we could see people on the bridge doing the climb, just like we did.
I got this very nice certificate and it has a colouring on the back. I am going to put it in my room with one of my photos to remember the climb.
I was very lucky to get a gift voucher for the Bridge Climb from my hairdresser, Ange, for my 21st birthday. I really loved it and think it is a great thing to do that I will always remember. We were up very high but felt safe and I am really glad I got to do it. My family loved it too and we'd all love to do it again one day, maybe at night next time so we can see all the city lights.
Tips from my travelling companion -
Bridge Climb Sydney is an unforgettable experience.! The views of the Harbour and the beautiful city of Sydney are incredible and the commentary was informative and interesting. I must say I was a little apprehensive before doing the climb and part of that was my concern over whether I would feel scared and how Flynn would react to being so high and out in the open but it really did end up being relaxing, fun and one of the best things I've done. The staff were professional, friendly, supportive and above all genuine in their endeavors to ensure everyone had a fun and positive experience, including Flynn.
All the staff I dealt with were extremely helpful and happy to accommodate Flynn's needs. My first point of contact was via email, as I wrote telling them about Flynn's visit and asking if they had any recommendations regarding a time/day that may be quiter or best for us to visit. I was very impressed that I received a phone call shortly after from Peter, who works in their Health and Safety team. Peter was happy to chat about Flynn's individual needs. He was positive and discussed their accessiblity policy, asking some questions to make sure Flynn could safely participate. Following that conversation Flynn and I researched the Bridge Climb Sydney webpage and there was lots of information and videos to watch as well as a Virtual Tour so Flynn could find out what to expect. The 'Plan you visit' and 'Accessibility' pages were very informative and there were also some videos from other people with disabilities to explain how the climb experience was for them. On the FAQ page there is information regarding special headsets that can be used if needed or how to participate with your own hearing aids or assistive listening devices, as well as information on Auslan Climbs that are available on request where an Australian Sign Language Interpreter will be their to interpret the commentary. As standard for all climbers we also completed the Health Declaration online a few days prior to our visit. The Bridge Climb are also members of the Hidden Disability Sunflower Program and are happy to help people with hidden or invisible disabilities in any way they can, and we can certainly say our climb leader, Gisele did this brilliantly! It was a bonus that our climb group was small, with just our family, as this made it more personal but I think even with more people it would be enjoyable. Flynn certainly loved it and so did the whole family! We therefore highly recommend the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb experience and are so glad we did it.
By Flynn's mum, Jenni
So wonderful that you all had a great time and how the bridge climb was so accessible.
It’s wonderful too that the sunflower lanyard is becoming more recognised.
Thanks for sharing.