Travel with my friend

Probably the most iconic bridge in the world. The Sydney Harbour Bridge had dominated the skyline of Sydney since 1930. Once called ‘the iron lung of Sydney’ it took 75% of the city’s workforce to build it and cost 16 lives.

Historical facts aside it’s one beautiful bridge! Built back when beauty in industrial endeavors were just as important as practicality. If the history doesn’t interest you then it’s looks will.

So you’d be a fool not to jump at the chance to climb the thing. Whether you’re fine with heights (like my wife) or you break out in a sweat and feel like passing out (like me!). The Sydney harbour bridge climb should be on everyone’s list of things to do before you die.

So let’s get the cost out of the way. It’s expensive. On the face of it very expensive! At $198 per person (around £115) it’s something you have to budget for. The cost is irrelevant though as once you’ve done it you’re glad you did, whatever the cost.

There are a few different tours you can do but the classic archway climb is the best I think. After 45 minutes of getting prepping and getting dressed in a jump suit with harnesses, radio, rain coat in a bag and even a hanky for those with runny noses you’re ready to try their simulator. A series of ladders, gantries and elevated walkways. Our group had the maximum of 14 people. Some groups are a lot smaller but I find comfort and entertainment from larger groups.

Then it’s time for the real thing. Stepping out on to the first walkway that clings to the underneath of the roadway over land. You’re tethered for the entire time you’re out there with a waist harness that would easily stop you falling. It’s a reassuring device if anything but if you’re like me there’s nothing quite like gripping the rails that run along all of the walkways and ladders as tight as you can until your knuckles are white!

The first few walkways are easily the most scary. Wooden flooring and Mesh metal gantries about 49 metres from the ground. I found it best to enjoy the view of the Sydney Opera House and Circular Quay rather than stare straight down. You pass though the southern pylon. A huge block near the start of the arch that is merely decoration and doesn’t hold up the arch, as many would think.

The friendly and reassuring guide puts you at ease and keeps a steady stream of interesting facts flowing through the radios. The wife on the other keeps a steady stream of a conversation coming along the lines of ‘ooh aren’t we high!’ and ‘wow you should look down now!’.

Once the suspended gantries are out the way you’re just a few steep ladders away from the arch. As you ascend you pass between 2 lanes of traffic which is a new experience in itself. Cars whizzing past at head height. The ladders increase your height from the ground dramatically but they feel more enclosed than the first walkways and in no time you’re on to the famous Sydney harbour bridge archway.

From here on it’s surprisingly easy. The stabbing feelings of vertigo that once riddled your body (at least for me, maybe not my wife) disappear and you find yourself stood on a wide, very solid Grey arch. The shallow incline of steps leading to the top of the arch are well within the vast width of this section so you feel much safer.

The slow walk to the summit offers easily the best views of Sydney. The harbour entrance, opera house, skyscrapers of the CBD and the sprawling urban mass heading west. All as you stand below 2 huge Australian flags. All of the unease of being so high (a mere 139 metres at the summit) are vastly superseded by the feeling of achievement and enjoying the vista.

Of course getting to the summit is only half the job. You walk over the most scary walkway of them all. A 3 foot wide gantry over 6 lanes of traffic and 2 railways lines to get to the other archway and start heading back down.

On the plus side you’re coming down with a sense of achievement so the vertigo hardly seems noticeable any more. To the point where I was experimenting by leaning over once petrifying walkways and looking down to see if it had any effect. It’s surprising how much confidence makes a difference.

Once back at the base you’re sad it’s over. A big thing for someone who doesn’t like heights all that much. After giving back all your harnesses and jump suit you get a photo of your group and your very own certificate to show just how brave you are!!

It’s well worth every penny and you’ll never look at the Sydney harbour bridge in quite the same way again. Knowing that you’ve climbed it all the way to the summit, overcome fears (well some of us have) and seen the best views of Sydney.

A big thank you to our friends back in England for paying half of the cost. It was an experience of a lifetime and I’m glad I did it!

If you’ve ever been to Koh Phi Phi in Thailand you’ll know it’s famous for it’s beach bars and party lifestyle. The beach bars are also known for being full of crazy drunk tourists burning themselves on fire engulfed skipping ropes.

While it’s certainly not the cheapest or anywhere near the most cultural of any of the Thai Islands, it still has it’s charms. For a hedonistic break away from backpacking for a week and a chance to let loose and make new friends.

It’s all too easy to end up at the Apache or Ibiza bars when heading to the beach. At first glance it seems that’s almost all there is down there as they’re pretty big. But a venture along the sandy shore will soon bring you to our favourite bar. The Stones Bar. With a completely different blend of house music for the more descerning dance music lover, it’s atmosphere is much more chilled with an abundant array of comfy cushions on the ground. The staff are great and we were lucky enough to meet two friendly sisters from America working there. Both experts at fire poi.

If you want easily the best show on the beach, you don’t want to see stupid drunk tourists burning their ankles and you want decent house music then I suggest giving the other bars a miss and heading down the beach to the Stones Bar.

Here’s a short video I made of the fire show. Also available in HD on youtube.

Firstly apologies for the delay in what is obviously a completely non-topical subject now but if you’ve ever attempted moving to Sydney before Christmas you’ll have some idea of how hectic it can be.

The heat of Asia was quickly squashed by the cool and rainy conditions as we came in to land in Australia. A half second glimps of the amazing Sydney city skyline is all we got before touching down at Kingsford Smith Airport. Most people just call it Sydney Airport. Boring eh.

Our S.E Asia adventure behind us, the rain was a harsh reminder that we’re not in Australia to sight see. At least not too much. Now it’s all about work and setting up a new home for a while. The weather soon improved, then got worse, then improved again. In fact Sydney’s weather is much like England’s, only when it’s hot it’s really hot!

We had 22 nights booked in the “Big Hostel” on Elizabeth Street. A nice enough place with some friendly staff and up to 170 friendly backpackers. It’s best feature being the roof top terrace where we spent many a night drinking dodgy cheap wine the aussie un-affectionately call “Goon”.

The first thing you notice about Sydney is how expensive it is. OK it’s probably the second thing you notice. The first is the amazing iconic buildings of the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge. THEN you notice how expensive everything is. There’s a high tax on alcohol, very few chain stores to drive down prices of goods and with the current exchange rate with the British Pound being appalling it was a bit of a shock coming from some of the cheapest parts of the world.

Australia doesn’t really do Christmas. They say because it’s just another BBQ on the beach to them. It’s surprising as it seems they’re missing a commercial trick here. of course there are still a few crazy people with their houses covered in lights but there’s no lights in the city centre and very few decorations in the shopping malls.

Christmas day was a surreal experience. Paying $25 to join the Hostel’s BBQ on the roof top. The food was amazing and it was a strange experience wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Unfortunately the weather didn’t hold out for very long. Rain soon poured down continuously from 3pm onwards reducing the party to a huddle of drunk people dancing under a quickly erected plastic banner for shelter. Still we had fun!

Christmas in Sydney is really about New Years Eve. It’s why most of the 1.2 million tourists flock to Sydney. Their fireworks are world renowned and rightly so. Each year they get bigger and better and thanks to an official website you can find a good vantage point from one of hundreds of parks, buildings, cafes, bars and boats. Most of the parks are free, most of the boats will cost you around $1000. We opted for the free park!

Our advice to anybody wanting to see the Sydney New Years Eve Fireworks is get there early. We were advised of this and made our way down to the park at 8am! All parks have a capacity and of course the best views are quickly snapped up. We were around the 500th people to enter our 5000 capacity park area at Tarpian Precinct, one of the best places to view the bridge. 8am sounds like an early start but it’s NYE! what else have you got to do? Thankfully there were 12 of us so playing cards, chatting and munching on home made sandwiches and pringles for 16 hours was no problem for us! The entertainment starts at 5pm with acrobatic planes, fire engine boats spraying water and the “family fireworks” at 9pm for those with kids who should be in bed before midnight.

I’ve never been quite so excited by a New Years Eve event in my life. When you’re waiting for 16 hours for midnight to arrive the completely irrational nerves kick in and the excitement builds. When the countdown hits zero and the 12 minute firework show begins everyone is at fever pitch. As for the fireworks, I garantee you’ll never see a more impressive display anywhere in the world. $5 Million well spent i say!

I’d highly recommend Christmas in Sydney especially if you’re used to cold, damp and this year rather snow covered festivities. It’s a surreal break with tradition and always ends with a bang!