Sydney: happy 92 to the Harbour Bridge (2024)
March 19 marks the anniversary of the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, one of the key landmarks in Sydney, Australia.
Known informally as “The Coathanger”, the steel through-type arch bridge opened on 19 March 1932, joining the harbour’s northern “Kiarabilli” (Milsons Point) with southern “Tarra” (Dawes Point) to vehicular traffic for the first time. The project took eight years to complete the 1.2-kilometre span over the Parramatta River as its waters empty into Sydney Harbour.
It’s easy to forget Sydney is a city of bridges, as Elizabeth Farrelly wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald on 3 January 2013:
Sydney: five bells, one harbour, seven bridges. A bridge is the ultimate romantic symbol, crystallising in steel and concrete the yearning to connect disparate worlds – and Sydney, city of baroque waterways, is as fully (if not as glamorously) bridged as London, Stockholm or Prague.
It’s big, it’s functional, even as some call it “old and ugly.” Today, the bridge provides an important link between the city’s northern suburbs and the Central Business District.
The smooth shiny metallic curves of the Harbour Bridge and the sail-like spherical-shells on the roof of the nearby Opera House form a visually powerful combination which has not only helped to define Sydney but Australia as well on the world stage.
I cannot disentangle memories of Sydney or Australia without thinking about The Bridge. I know when I finally see the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, I know I’ve arrived and I’m back in Sydney.
Sunrise from Mrs. Macquarie’s Point
Under the central arch
Northbound, through the south pylons
“THIS … is Sydney!”
Down to the right, up to the left
Swarming ships on a summer Saturday, at Circular Quay
Parramatta River, towards Birchgrove
Parramatta River, near Cockatoo Island
Moonset in front and sunrise behind, from Dover Heights
Morning light on the City skyline, from Dover Heights
West view from Gap Park, Watsons Bay
Setting sun, from Dover Heights
VIVID Sydney 2013
Full moon over Harbour Bridge, VIVID Sydney 2013, from Blues Point Reserve
I made all of the photos above between 2007 and 2013. I acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the land called Australia, and the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as traditional custodians of the place called Sydney. References to Aboriginal placenames: ANU, Australian Museum, Creative Spirits, and Pocket Oz. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins.com as http://wp.me/p1BIdT-38e.
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15 Responses to “Sydney: happy 92 to the Harbour Bridge (2024)”
They are all such great photos,but I really love the focus drag pull experiment. I have been trying that one for a while with no success. Love the effect so will have to try again! Maybe on a slightly less exciting bridge around Ottawa!
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Hi and thank you, Anita! The focus-drag-pull experiment can be tricky, because with long-exposures, patience (and lots of it) is required. But as you *will* see, it’s worth the time and effort, especially at night. Thanks again for reading and for your comment!
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Great photos Henry!!! Soooo jealous of your travels!!! But loving it every step of the way…. get to travel through your posts!!! 🙂 **
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Hi and thank you very much for your comment! I was hoping to know who you were, aside from the “Anonymous” label, but I guess I’ll have to make do with tracking the IP address back to Edmonton, Alberta. 🙂
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Great pics! So glad I took the opportunity to climb the bridge when I was there back in 2001 🙂
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Hi and thanks, Erik! To a person, everyone who goes up loves the Bridge Climb. I’m a little conflicted about the Climb, not because of the price, but because I’d like to bring my own camera equipment up top. I understand issues of liability, because any object dropped from the top of the bridge’s arch down to the pavement below would do some real damage. I guess for the time being I’ll remain of two minds about the climb. 🙂
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I love bridges and really love your pictures. I like the way you can continue to enjoy the same bridge (or other monument or site, for that matter) from different vantages and at different times of day. I think that bridges play an important reason why many top cities are considered romantic. Australia is high on our want-to-see list and Sydney is a must part of the first trip.
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Hi and thanks for your kind compliment, Randy! Welcome to the blog! I grew up in Vancouver, a city of bridges as well. It’s absolutely true that bridges are landmarks in their own right, as well as providing key links between two different regions. In Vancouver, the most historic bridge of them all is the Lions Gate Bridge connecting the downtown peninsula with the North Shore. I’ve visited the Bay Area lots, and my two favourite bridges are the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge. My fondness for the Bay Bridge stems from the fact that my friends live near Berkeley, and I’ve spent a lot of time crossing the Bay Bridge, as well as using the BART. Thanks again for reading and for your comment – I hope you and Catherine visit Australia soon!
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