Sydney Harbour Bridge turns 90: Here’s where you can celebrate
Festivities for the national icon will give Sydneysiders the opportunity to step back in time and take part in events. See what’s on.
NSW
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Sydney’s graceful arch has officially kicked off its birthday party with a light show to celebrate 90 years on our spectacular harbour.
Since its grand opening on March 19, 1932, the Sydney Harbour Bridge has become one of Australia’s significant artefacts connecting people and offering over-the-edge experiences.
“After eight years of construction, Sydney’s two shores were joined, with the Bridge becoming instantly internationally recognisable as a symbol of unity and progress,” NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said.
“It isn’t just a tourist attraction, it remains a key artery for our city’s beating heart.”
Minister for Heritage James Griffin said the Bridge’s construction – by the vision of engineer John Bradfield – was a major event in our nation’s history.
“It’s incredible to think this Bridge was completed in the midst of the Great Depression, and without the modern technology and machinery we have today,” he said.
Tomorrow, festivities for the national icon will give Sydneysiders the opportunity to step back in time and take part in events.
Start the day at Campbells Cove for free activities and musical entertainment, hosted by Playschool’s Luke Carroll.
Visit a vintage car show and take in classic cars from the 1930s while the kids go bananas during a performance by Bananas in Pyjamas and Apple the Magician.
Later, sit back and chill out as ABC’s Dan Bourchier takes you on a musical journey through the decades since the Bridge’s opening.
Performers will include Aria Award winners James Morrison, Christine Anu (above) and more.
For a change of pace, hop on a heritage double-decker bus from North Sydney station to Wynyard station. On-board, 1930s tour conductors will talk about the city’s bus history.
Historic double-decker vintage buses will operate every five minutes from North Sydney and Wynyard as well as vintage ferries between Milsons Point and Campbells Cove every 30 minutes.
Stroll around Town Hall and encounter swing dancers, caricature artists, acoustic buskers and 1930s paper kids handing out free copies of The Daily Telegraph, event maps and a free puzzle.
The Rocks Walking Tours is offering a free one-hour guided walking tour on how the Bridge changed the lives of the dock workers living in the area in 1930.
Nearby, Pancakes on the Rocks will serve a Sydney Harbour Bridge pancake for one day only.
Minister for Metropolitan Roads, Natalie Ward, said: “Today, the Bridge remains a vital and beautiful piece of infrastructure that links the CBD with North Sydney, joins communities and supports our economy.”
For more event information, visit the Transport for NSW website.
A NATIONAL ICON
Adorned by snap-happy tourists and hallowed as a national icon, the Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of the most striking structures in Australia, said Peter Bradfield.
He said his grandfather, John Bradfield, who died in 1943, would have been extremely proud that the Bridge continued to symbolise Australian ingenuity.
“The Bridge is a wonderful piece of infrastructure which melds the city together. It’s for the people of Sydney and everyone should be proud of it,” Mr Bradfield, 80, said.
“It has as much relevance today as it did 90 years ago.”
Powerhouse Museum curator Anni Turnbull said the Bridge was seen as a pathway to change and progress during the Depression era.
“It was the largest single arch bridge in the world at the time and certainly one of the largest structures in Australia,” she said.
“Bradfield incorporated four granite pylons to make its shape distinctive from similar designs in Newcastle and New York’s Hell’s Gate Bridges.
“He travelled the world researching bridge designs. He would come upon an arch bridge that was suitable for the enormous span of Sydney Harbour – and cheaper by at least £400,000 than a cantilever bridge.”
The Powerhouse Museum has a range of commercial memorabilia such as tea towels, badges and postcards created since the 1930s.
Elizabeth Hirschl, 97, still recalls the first time she walked across the Bridge.
Her father James “Jim” Gordon Gray was one of the Bridge’s crane operators when they lived in Hurstville during the 1930s.
“He used to swing in the air over ships and ferries and slide down the rope to meet us for lunch at Observatory Hill,” she said.
“When I see it now, I have a strong feeling of being at home.”
HARBOUR HISTORY
As we celebrate 90 years since the Bridge’s grand opening, we share the milestones of its construction and its place in our lives.
1800s
Row boats, coal-powered steam punts, ferries and barges transport a growing population from Sydney’s northern shores to the southern shores.
1900
Design competition initiated by government for a harbour crossing.
1911
Principal design engineer of NSW Public Works Department John Job Crew (JJC) Bradfield submits three designs – a cantilever, a suspension and a combination cantilever arch bridge.
1912
Bradfield appointed chief engineer of Sydney Harbour Bridge, City Transit and Metropolitan Railway Construction.
1922
NSW government passes the Sydney Harbour Bridge Act (1922), clearing the way for the construction of a harbour crossing from Dawes Point (pictured, 1925) in the south to Milsons Point in the north.
1922
Twenty designs received from six companies after a worldwide call. Arch design of English company Dorman Long is recommended by Bradfield and accepted by the government.
1920s
Land is resumed and homes demolished.
1923
Construction started with a sod turning on the north shore.
1926
Concrete piers supported approach spans and steelwork started to be erected.
1928
Giant creeper cranes built on each side. Steel sections assembled on ground and cranes hoisted them to be riveted into place.
19 August 1930
North and south arches touch for the first time.
1932
Bridge test-loaded with 96 steam locomotives placed on four railway tracks.
19 March 1932
Bridge officially opened.
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