Today, on March 19th, 80 years ago, the Sydney Harbour bridge was completed. It was a big day as nearly 1 million people gathered to watch the opening, the highest number of people in Australia in one area. The bridge took 6 years to build and 14,000 workers and is still the world’s largest steel arch bridge at 1149metres long. It also weighs a hefty amount, 52,800 tonnes. The bridge was designed by Dr John Job Brew Bradfield, an engineer and the NSW Dep of Public Works officers.
Click on the link below to see a very interesting video about the history of the bridge.
History of Sydney’s Harbour Bridge
Today the bridge is crossed by more than 160,000 vehicles every weekday and is climbed by many thousands of tourists every year. I went to Sydney last week just for 3 days, so was disappointed to have missed the 80th anniversary or birthday. I took lots of photos when I visited as it is an iconic part of Sydney.
To commemorate the 80 years, the history of the bridge was celebrated in 1930s style at Bradfield Park in Milsons Point with old-fashioned car displays, a vintage fashion parade and a lot of people with fond memories of the bridge. Dr Bradfield’s eldest grandson Peter was at the event.
Even Google celebrated the bridge’s 80th birthday with a doodle below
