BridgeClimb Sydney

BridgeClimb Sydney is an Australian tourist attraction.

BridgeClimb Sydney
IndustryTourism
Founded1 October 1998
FounderPaul Cave
Headquarters
Sydney
,
Australia
Key people
Jack Cowin (Director and shareholder)
Websitewww.bridgeclimb.com

Climbers on the Sydney Harbour Bridge

The company guides guests on a climb on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Numerous visitors from various countries and territories have climbed the southern half of the bridge.[1]

Four different types of climbs are offered, as of December 2017. The BridgeClimb, which was initially the only option, takes guests to the top of the bridge along the upper arch in a round-trip that takes over three hours, including preparation time. BridgeClimb Express guides guests to the interior of the steel bridge and then to the top in just over 2 hours. BridgeClimb Sampler was introduced in 2014, for those who are short on time or concerned about heights: in an hour and a half, climbers ascend the inner arch to a vantage point halfway to the top.[2] Finally, the Mandarin Climb, introduced in January 2012, follows the standard BridgeClimb or BridgeClimb Express route and is led by a Mandarin-speaking guide. Mandarin Climbs are available daily at 10 am and 3 pm.[3] The different route options are available in time-of-day variants: dawn, day, twilight and night.

BridgeClimb also offers special climbs for some of Sydney's events, like the Vivid Climb, the Ferrython Climb on Australia Day, or the Anzac Day Dawn Climb.[4]

There have been over 4,000 proposals[5] at the summit of the bridge and couples also have the option to get married on the bridge, 134 m (440 ft) above Sydney Harbour. The experience has also attracted many famous actors, musicians and members of royalty,[6] including cast members of The Biggest Loser,[7] Kylie Minogue, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, Robert De Niro, Prince Harry and more recently Oprah Winfrey and Zoolander (Ben Stiller).[8]

Anyone over the age of eight years and in good health can climb. There is no maximum age, with the oldest climber being 100 years old.[9]

History

The concept of BridgeClimb was born in 1989 when BridgeClimb's Founder and Chairman, Paul Cave,[10] helped conduct a Young Presidents Organisation World Congress in Sydney, which included a climb over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Following this experience, Cave decided to make climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge a permanent attraction. This led to many years of dealing with state and local government bodies, community groups and many experts on safety, logistics, media, heritage and conservation issues. After nearly ten years of research and development, BridgeClimb Sydney was officially launched on 1 October 1998. At that time, BridgeClimb was the first tourism operator on a bridge anywhere in the world.[11]

In October 2009, BridgeClimb Sydney opened the Sydney Harbour Bridge Visitor Centre. The Visitor Centre houses a Bridge Exhibition and a high definition Bridge Cinema.[12]

The Bridge exhibition houses the stories of the Sydney Harbour Bridge through exhibits and interactive displays. This includes the stories of the engineers, designers, skilled tradesmen and labourers and the 16 men that lost their lives during its construction. The exhibition also documents the events that took place and the people that participated in the Sydney Harbour Bridge's famous opening ceremony in 1932.

The Pylon Lookout is also managed by BridgeClimb Sydney. The Pylon houses three levels of exhibits and climbers are provided with a free pass to the Pylon Lookout when checking in for their climb.[13]

On 1 January 2018 Hugh Jackman climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge with family and friends. Jackman was guided to the top by Climb Leader Adam Terry. In October 2018 Prince Harry climbed the bridge in order to unveil the Invictus Games flag and mark the opening of the Games in Sydney.

In June 2018 the franchise was awarded to the proprietors of Katoomba Scenic World for 20 years following a formal tender process.[14]

Awards

The company has received numerous industry awards and accolades including a world record for number of flags flown on a bridge recognised by Guinness World Records.[15]

In 2007, BridgeClimb was awarded best "Major Tourist Attraction" at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.[16] Lonely Planet has recognised BridgeClimb Sydney as one of the world's top 10 'Biggest Adrenaline Rush' experiences[17] as well as one of the '10 Best Things to Climb'.[18] More recently, in 2011 and 2012, BridgeClimb was awarded 'Best Guided Tour in Australia' at the Australian Traveller Readers' Choice Awards.[19] In 2016, BridgeClimb was awarded ‘Best Guided Tour in Australia’ by the Australian Traveller Reader's Choice Awards[20] and best ‘Major tourism Attraction’ at the New South Wales Tourism Awards.[21]

References
  1. eTravelBlackboard.com Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine eTravel Blackboard News article citing BridgeClimb's visitor statistics. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  2. TravelWeekly.com.au Archived 5 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine Travel Weekly article discussing different climb options. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  3. Backpackertradenews.com.au Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine Backpacker Trade News article announcing the launch of the new Mandarin Climb. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  4. "Harbour Bridge dance floor a Vivid experience". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  5. Telegraph.co.uk The Telegraph article on bridge marriages. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  6. LEP.co.uk Lancashire Evening Post article referring to famous BridgeClimb guests. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  7. BiggestLoser.org Archived 29 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Photos of Biggest Loser contestants on the bridge. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  8. HeraldSun.com Herald Sun article about Oprah climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  9. News.com.au Article on news.com.au citing Lloyd Poulton's 50th climb celebration. Retrieved 22-10-13.
  10. TravelWeekly.com.au Archived 5 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine Article on TravelWeekly.com citing Paul Cave as founder. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  11. DynamicBusiness.com Dynamic Business article referencing company's history. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  12. BridgeClimb.com Archived 25 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine BridgeClimb press release. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  13. PylonLookout.com.au Pylon Lookout listing of BridgeClimb as manager. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  14. "Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb awarded to Hammond Holdings for next 20 years". ABC News. Australia. 15 June 2018.
  15. SMH.com.au Article citing Guinness World Record. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  16. SMH.com.au The Sydney Morning Herald article referencing QAT award. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  17. AusLeisure.com.au Archived 6 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine Australasian Leisure magazine reference of accolade from Lonely Planet. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  18. eTravelBlackboard.us eTravelBlackboard's reference of accolade from Lonely Planet. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  19. Australiantraveller.com Article by Australian Traveller announcing 2012 winners. Retrieved 25-10-13.
  20. "The Best Australian Experiences 2016 | Australian Traveller". Australian Traveller. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  21. "2016 Winners". www.nswtourismawards.com. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
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