For over two decades, BridgeClimb has offered an unparalleled view of Sydney, letting visitors and locals conquer one of the city’s most famous landmarks. To celebrate the end of the year, the Sydney Travel Guide team took on the 1332 steps to the summit, and lived to tell the tale! Here’s our experience, along with our top tips for conquering the climb.
Among the team, we had a few first-timers, as well as a veteran climber, our Content Director, Bernadette, who has ascended the summit of the Harbour Bridge a total of six times prior, the first time being when she was just eight years old. I’d never tackled it before, but as a long-time item on my Sydney bucket list, I was equal parts nervous and excited.
The pre-climb prep
When you first arrive at your BridgeClimb session, it’s not as simple as getting suited up and starting. There are a few steps to complete first, mostly for health and safety reasons. Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through it now so that you know exactly what to expect on your first BridgeClimb.
When you first arrive at the BridgeClimb, you’re taken through to the induction room, where you’ll watch the Welcome to Country and learn the dos and don’ts of BridgeClimb. These include things like DO tie up long hair, and DON’T take up any phones, loose items or jewellery (apart from small rings and earrings).
Next up, each climber has to complete a breathalyser test, so maybe skip the big night out beforehand. Luckily, it was 9am on a Thursday, and the STG team all passed with flying colours before moving on to the next room.
After the first safety induction, you’ll be taken through to the next room to put on your climbing suits. We were actually told to wear only underwear under our suits, as the forecast for the day was 29 degrees and clear skies (a bit awkward, but better than overheating at the top of the bridge due to too many layers).
After we put our suits on in the designated changing cubicles, we were then able to choose a locker to put away our valuables (including jewellery, phones and any other prohibited items). You are allowed to take up your sunglasses, and they provided us with special straps so that they wouldn’t go flying off the bridge.
We then met our climbing guide, Tom. Luckily for us, he used to be a primary school teacher, so he was both extremely upbeat and very patient with us. Not only was he our guide, but he was also our photographer, and he instructed us to smile at the big camera before we headed into the final part of our prep.
Tom took us through to a metal detector (remember, NO loose items) as our final screening, before we finally made it through to the practice room. Here, we were given our harnesses and taken through how to climb the bridge, before practising on a frame that is the same steepness and difficulty as the most challenging part of the BridgeClimb. This way, if you’re nervous that you won’t be able to complete the climb, you’ll have already proved that you can do the hardest part, and can start with confidence.
Next, we were handed headphones (so that we could hear Tom at all times) as well as our very own BridgeClimb hats, which we attached to our harnesses. We applied one last layer of sunscreen before getting in order and making our way to the beginning of our climb.
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Views, stories and plenty of photos
At last, we made it to the start of the BridgeClimb! Nerves were high, but after the lengthy safety brief, we couldn’t wait to begin. We attached our harnesses to the safety wire, were reminded by Tom to follow his “three points of contact on the bridge at all times” rule and began to walk out onto the bridge.
The climb begins along a narrow stretch of wooden planks leading to the Bridge’s pylons, which, fun fact, actually don’t help to hold up the bridge at all. According to Tom, the pylons were added more for aesthetic reasons than function, as they actually don’t bear any weight. They were built to reassure the public about the bridge’s strength (quite ironic, really!).
As we moved past the starting point, the stunning views of Sydney Harbour began to unfold, with the Sydney Opera House sparkling under the sun to our right. We made it up to the ladders, the most daunting part of the climb that we had practised completing on the frame before the climb.
I won’t lie to you. The ladder section is a bit scary. If you’re bad with heights, this won’t be easy. However, in return, you’re treated to the most incredible view of Sydney, as well as a huge rush of adrenaline.
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Those obsessed with documenting everything through their phone camera, fear not. Tom made sure that we stopped at multiple points along the bridge to get both group shots, solo shots and just pictures of the view. Although you won’t be able to vlog the whole thing, you’ll receive some nice high-quality pics like the one above, which also means you can focus on the view and not your phone screen.
We were all a bit worried about how hot we might get, but there are several misters along the Harbour Bridge walkway, so if you start to overheat, you can cool down with a quick spray of water. There are also some water fountains dotted along the way (though these are only available before you’ve climbed the ladders, and after you’ve descended).
Although our climb was incredible, the only issue was the strong winds we encountered at the top of the bridge, particularly when crossing to the west side. Make sure you secure your hat in your harness, and be prepared for your hair to look like you’ve crawled through a bush when you finish.
As we began to descend (moving to the west side of the bridge and going back the way we came), Tom told us a few funny celebrity stories, as the BridgeClimb has a lengthy hall of fame. Just a week before our climb, the Metallica frontman James Hetfield was on the very same ladders, and the climbing guide didn’t even realise who he was until after he had left. When James told him he was in music, the instructor said, “I feel like you’re going to make it, man”, not realising he was saying this to the frontman of one of the world’s biggest bands.
We made our way back down the dreaded steep ladders, returning to a much more comfortable height, again following the narrow wooden footpath, before making it back to the start. We survived!
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Our verdict
It’s safe to say that we all loved our BridgeClimb experience. It was made extra special by Tom, who was a phenomenal and knowledgeable guide, keeping us entertained and informed throughout the climb. The climb itself is incredible, and it definitely helped that we were very lucky with the weather (just look at those blue skies!).
Although the westerly wind was a bit of a challenge, we were told that the wind speed at which they’ll cancel the BridgeClimb is 90 km/hour. For context, the wind speed when we climbed was 50 km/hour! BridgeClimb continues through some pretty intense weather conditions, so be prepared to face all the elements. They do hand out gloves, beanies and rain jackets if the weather is looking gloomy, so you’ll always be dressed appropriately.
I would happily recommend BridgeClimb to anyone visiting Sydney. It’s an incredible way to see the city from a completely new perspective, and who doesn’t want to say they climbed the world’s largest steel arch bridge? Another great thing about it is that it’s really inclusive to all generations. They’ve had people as young as eight climb the bridge, to people as old as 100. So whether you’re going with a partner, with friends, or for your work Christmas party, everyone is guaranteed to have an amazing time.
To book your BridgeClimb experience, click here.
The full list of BridgeClimb FAQs can be found on their website here.
