Day 7: Sydney, Australia
Wow, it’s been almost a whole week (lost a day crossing the IDL)! I am utterly exhausted from today’s adventures.
This morning we had a 3 1/2 hour climb across the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The stylish suits and harnesses made us look like we were about to jump out of some planes - all we needed was some parachutes! The climb starts underneath the roadway where you walk along wooden planks to get to the ladders. There are about 4 sets of ladders to climb, but they are staggered with landing pads so that you're not just going straight up. While you're climbing, you emerge between the lanes of the bridge and get to see everyone passing by! The ladders take you to the lowest end of the topmost arch. From there, you walk across the arch on what look like exaggerated stairs. Once we reached the top arch, we then moved to the center most and highest point of the bridge (440 ft) before crossing over and coming back down.
The bridge was constructed over a span of 9 years (1923-1932) and is held together with 6 million rivets - each driven by hand. It is an incredibly sturdy bridge, I couldn’t feel it move at all, even at the very top. Don't worry though, you're attached to the bridge just in case.
Fun fact, you also cannot take anything on the bridge climb with you aside from glasses/sunglasses. It is an active bridge so everything has to be attached to your body. I can't imagine driving along, minding my own business and then BAM, hit by a cell phone. Safety first!
The view from the top was dazzling, but after lunch we had another amazing view of the harbor from a beautiful boat. The boat cruised all through the harbor for about an hour, going as far as Clark Island and back. We sat up on the topmost deck along the back side so that we could have the best view.
After the harbor cruise was a stop in to have a look at the largest opal in the world, which regrettably was way out of my budget. Opals come from silica that has made its way into crevices and fissures in rock. The rarest is black opal which is found in black rock and the most common is white opal found in lighter rock. My new personal favorite is bolder opal which is found in dark brown rock, has a more natural stone look to it, and is only found in Queensland.
For dinner we walked to Cyren which was on the other side of Darling Harbour. It was delicious breaded chicken breasts with mushroom gravy. Conveniently, the Hard Rock Cafe was right next door, so I finally got the chance to pick up a Sydney pin for my collection.
Early night tonight since we fly out to Cairns tomorrow morning!
This morning we had a 3 1/2 hour climb across the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The stylish suits and harnesses made us look like we were about to jump out of some planes - all we needed was some parachutes! The climb starts underneath the roadway where you walk along wooden planks to get to the ladders. There are about 4 sets of ladders to climb, but they are staggered with landing pads so that you're not just going straight up. While you're climbing, you emerge between the lanes of the bridge and get to see everyone passing by! The ladders take you to the lowest end of the topmost arch. From there, you walk across the arch on what look like exaggerated stairs. Once we reached the top arch, we then moved to the center most and highest point of the bridge (440 ft) before crossing over and coming back down.
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| Almost at the top of the bridge in our snazzy suits. |
The bridge was constructed over a span of 9 years (1923-1932) and is held together with 6 million rivets - each driven by hand. It is an incredibly sturdy bridge, I couldn’t feel it move at all, even at the very top. Don't worry though, you're attached to the bridge just in case.
Fun fact, you also cannot take anything on the bridge climb with you aside from glasses/sunglasses. It is an active bridge so everything has to be attached to your body. I can't imagine driving along, minding my own business and then BAM, hit by a cell phone. Safety first!
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| The view from the top of the bridge taken by our lovely climb leader. |
The view from the top was dazzling, but after lunch we had another amazing view of the harbor from a beautiful boat. The boat cruised all through the harbor for about an hour, going as far as Clark Island and back. We sat up on the topmost deck along the back side so that we could have the best view.
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| The boat that took us around the harbour. |
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| The view of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge from the cruise. |
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| All the glass and open areas on the boat provided excellent views of the city. |
After the harbor cruise was a stop in to have a look at the largest opal in the world, which regrettably was way out of my budget. Opals come from silica that has made its way into crevices and fissures in rock. The rarest is black opal which is found in black rock and the most common is white opal found in lighter rock. My new personal favorite is bolder opal which is found in dark brown rock, has a more natural stone look to it, and is only found in Queensland.
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| Information about the largest opal in the world. |
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| The largest - and unpolished - opal in the world! |
For dinner we walked to Cyren which was on the other side of Darling Harbour. It was delicious breaded chicken breasts with mushroom gravy. Conveniently, the Hard Rock Cafe was right next door, so I finally got the chance to pick up a Sydney pin for my collection.
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| Breaded chicken with mushroom gravy. |
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| The view walking toward Cyren over the Darling Harbour. |
Early night tonight since we fly out to Cairns tomorrow morning!
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