A view from THE bridge

I landed in Sydney on May 3rd 1997. I'd left England on May 1st. So technically-speaking I skipped May 2nd 1997 entirely. I wasn't overly bothered. May 2nd has always been quite uneventful for me.


At 7am on May 3rd 1997 I took a taxi from Sydney International Airport to The Holiday Inn in Coogee. In the years since 1997 both of these have changed beyond all recognition. Back then, the International Airport was basically a well-mowed strip of grass in the middle of a field a few kilometers to the south of Sydney. Some bloke had to shoo the cows off the field whenever a 747 from Europe approached. I'm not even sure if he was paid to do the cow shoo-ing.


& then the bods in charge of the Olympics announced 'the winner is Syd-e-ney', and Macquarie Bank somehow convinced everyone that the city needed a shiny new airport to accommodate the hoards that were expected in the year 2000. They also convinced us that it was perfectly OK to charge the earth for parking at their shiny new airport, and for taking a train to their shiny new airport. Now, thanks to Macquarie Bank, Sydney's shiny new international airport is little more than an overpriced shambles. 


It's a right royal rip-off. It was far better when I first rocked up on May 3rd 1997.


The Holiday Inn in Coogee is now called The Crowne Plaza. I haven't stayed there since 1997, but I can guarantee that if Macquarie Bank were involved in any of the changes it'll be overpriced and shambolic now too.

When I got to the Holiday Inn, after what felt like a six-week flight from a different world in a different hemisphere, I had just one thing on my mind. The Sydney Harbour Bridge. I was itching to see it and even more itchy to whizz across it.


For me Sydney was the Harbour Bridge. I'd never been to Sydney before I moved Down Under. I'd seen pictures of the bridge and I liked the look of it. The truth is that I don't mind a good bridge. I remember going over the Clifton Suspension Bridge when I was about 11 and thinking, 'how the heck does this thing work?' And that's the rub of it for me. I have no idea how they work, why they don't collapse in the middle and fall in a heap into the water below. When I was at Uni a very bright Engineering boffin - who is probably sitting at his desk right now, designing bridges - explained it all to me in great detail. I did a fair bit of nodding and mmm-ing and ah-ing, but the truth was that I had no idea what he was on about. He lost me when he said that 'through-arch bridges' (the Sydney Harbour Bridge is technically a 'through-arch bridge') don't rely on the four concrete towers on either end in any way at all. They are there for purely aesthetic reasons. I thought they were crucial. I still do if I'm being honest. But they're not. They're cosmetic.


I left the Holiday Inn in my rental car. It was a Holden Commodore. The previous driver had left a half-eaten MacDonald's meal in the glove compartment. As a result, the drive to my first crossing of the Sydney Harbour Bridge wasn't as pleasant as it might have been.


The approach to the bridge from Sydney's Eastern suburbs is a strange one. You don't see 'the Coathanger' until you're almost on it. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. There I was in a, if a little pungent, car, in a new city, on the cusp of a new life, cruising the streets of the iconic Bondi Beach, on my way to cross the even more iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.


& then I missed it.


Just like that. I missed it. I didn't see the sign with the arrow pointing up the left that said 'Cahill Expressway and Sydney Harbour Bridge'. I went straight ahead and ended up in the Sydney Harbour Tunnel.


From an engineering perspective I have no doubt that tunnels are just as fascinating as bridges. I suspect that the Sydney Harbour Tunnel is - as tunnels go - a real belter. It burrows under Sydney Harbour for god's sake. That's really quite impressive. But the truth is, when you're in it, and going through it, and you really, really wanted to be on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, going across it, you can't help feeling a little bit gutted. Let down even.


The view from THE Bridge was supposed to be spectacular. The view in the tunnel was nothing special. It was - and still is - mainly concrete and cars. The tunnel is as functional as THE Bridge is spectacular.


Of course, when I popped out of the tunnel I was totally lost. It was my first day in Sydney and I was in a strange car that reeked of half-eaten MacDonalds. I ended up in Lane Cove. Those people who know Sydney will know that if you're looking for the Sydney Harbour Bridge and find yourself in Lane Cove you're having a bit of a nightmare. Your day ain't going well.


Being a typical bloke I was reluctant to ask a passer-by for directions. That was mainly due to the language problem. I'd just arrived from England and I had no idea what dialect the people in Lane Cove spoke. So I just cruised the streets hoping I'd end up on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I didn't.


Eventually I did manage to turn around. I retraced my steps from Lane Cove. Past Crows Nest. Through North Sydney. McMahon's Point. Milsons Point. Kirribilli.


Bang. There it was. In all its glory. The Sydney Harbour Bridge. And it was as magnificent as I'd hoped and imagined.


The Sydney Harbour Bridge. As bridges go, it's a cracker. One of the best I reckon. It's 80 years old today. Happy birthday to it.


Here's a few bits 'n' bobs that you might not know about the old Coathanger ...

• It was built by the English firm Dorman Long and Co. Their winning bid was touch over 4million quid
• The winning design was one of seven. The other six are over there on the right
• At 42 metres it's the widest longspan bridge in the world. It's also the heaviest, but not the longest.
• It's 1149m long (including approaches), 503m between the arches and 49m above the water
• The bridge can rise and fall up to 18cms due to heating and cooling
• 272,000 litres of paint are needed to spruce it up completely

As for traffic crossing the bridge, in 1932 about 11000 cars whizzed (!) across each day and a few horses pulling carts. Today that figure is close to 200,000. Today no horses are allowed. Daily traffic across the bridge dropped by about 50,000 cars on 31st August 1992. Why? That was the day that the Sydney Harbour Tunnel opened.


Since 1992 drivers have had two options when needing to cross the harbour by road from the north, east and city.  Tunnel or bridge. Bridge or tunnel. There's pros and cons to both. But, in my view, the Bridge wins hands down. Always.


It's been that way since May 3rd 1997.


drawings from www.sydneyharbourbridge.info