Reading Rating: Afternoon Cuppa Tea
Davin Reporting!
Last night I booked an appointment at the Sydney Bridge Climb for 10 o’clock this morning. Initially, I have to admit to having some reservations about whether to go forward with the climb. The cost seemed rather steep for what is only a 2-3 hour event (nearly $200 USD per person). But, the climb was specifically recommended to me by Dr. Levi at Scripps clinic, who is originally from Sydney, and all the reviews online were good. So, after some vacillating, I decided to go forward with it.
In any case, we got up and grabbed a quick breakfast, and got underway by walking back across the Harbour Bridge. We initially planned to take the ferry, but this turned out to be a Saturday, and the ferry only ran once an hour. From where we were in Kirribilli, it turned out to be faster just to walk across the bridge again. Obviously the staging area is located on the end of the bridge, so crossing the bridge takes you straight to it.
We arrived at the staging area with about fifteen minutes to spare. Having bit the bullet and paid for the price of the climb, my only remaining concern was that the bad Chinese food from last night was not really agreeing with me (never again will I eat garbage from a mall food court!), leading to some discomfort. That being said, after paying so much we were going to complete the climb, come hell or high water!
Our time slot came up and we were ushered into a room where we signed a waiver form and were given a breathalyser test, before being fitted with a bridge climb suit– a one piece overall that everyone had to wear. (Kristin Interjection: “I initially put mine on backwards! Whoops!”) It was a very hot and humid day, so it was recommended that we wear nothing but our underwear underneath. I dithered over this briefly, because the suit didn’t seem all that comfortable, but eventually decided to follow that advice. We also had to leave behind all phones, cameras and even watches (apparently out of concern we might drop them onto the bridge highway below, although probably also to provide another money making opportunity).
After donning the suit, you were outfitted with a handkerchief, a souvenir cap and a pair of headphones (so you could hear the tour leader). All of those accessories, as well as your sunglasses were attached to you with cords, so that if you dropped them they wouldn’t fall into traffic on the bridge, and potentially cause an accident. You were also equipped with a harness belt, and you were actually strapped on to a cable by a sliding metal attachment during the entire bridge climb– once you were attached you were on a single cable route until the end of the climb when you slid your attachment back off the end of the line.
For the bridge climb itself, I had elected to book the Express Bridge Climb. As the name would suggest, the major difference between the express and normal bridge climb is that the express is faster– taking only two hours instead of three. However, a secondary difference is that the express climb travels up the lower arch of the bridge, rather than going over the top of the upper arch. I actually liked this route better because it allowed for a closer look at the bridge structure. (Kristin Interjection: “The architectural view was amazing! I loved it! And you go to the very top either way.”)
Despite my reservations, I was quite pleased with the bridge climb experience. I felt it was actually more of a guided tour of the bridge, rather than simply being a “climb” to the top. We were provided with a very close look at the bridge– much closer than you would otherwise be able to see– and also learned some history behind it. I can’t speak for the normal climb route, but climbing up inside the bridge on the express climb was pretty awesome. The view from the top was also nice, although we obviously could not take our own photos.
On the whole, I would definitely recommend the Bridge Climb to anyone visiting Sydney. The price is a bit steep, but the experience was unique enough to ultimately justify coughing up the money. Unfortunately, I am afraid that those on a tight budget might be priced out of the experience. (Kristin Interjection: “The price also discourages repeat visits!”)
Of course, that was not the end of the day. With our Bridge Climb experience behind us, we proceeded to eat the Subway sandwich we purchased the previous day. The sandwich was a bit beat up due to being carried around, but still tasted OK. For what it’s worth, the sandwich was essentially identical to what you’d get from a Subway in the U.S. We also found a Dr. Pepper at a local convenience store to drink with the meal. It seems like Dr. Pepper is something of a luxury drink here, and only available for sale at convenience stores in individual cans. (Kristin Interjection: “And for more money than a can of Coke or Pepsi! It’s a premium specialty drink!”)
After lunch we made our way to the Justice and Police Museum. This museum was part of a special four museum package, along with the Sydney Museum, the Susannah Place Museum and the Hyde Park Barracks Museum. This was an interesting, but fairly small museum. They had a collection of prints of old police photos showing crime scenes and suspects. There were also some displays of renowned criminals from the past, as well as a display of old school traffic accidents.
One of the most memorable things to me was a see-through display of a safe lock made out of wood. It helped me understand how a lock, such as a master lock, functions. By selecting different numbers you line up the plates inside. Maybe it’s obvious, but seeing how it actually worked was interesting. There was also some information on the “Bush Rangers”, who were basically outlaws who lived in the outback. What was interesting about them is that they were apparently the super heroes of their time, with absurd and grandiose names like “Captain Thunderbolt” and “Captain Moonlite”.
In addition to those displays, you got to see the old courthouse, and the old police station, as well as a selection of various confiscated weapons. Altogether it was an interesting museum, but I was glad it was part of the four museum package, because it was kind of skimpy for a standalone.
Following the police museum we walked back to the Susannah Place Museum, which was close to Circular Quay. (Kristin Interjection: “We were able to reserve the 4pm tour. They only do four tours a day and they are limited to 10 people per tour. They want to preserve the site but there weren’t throngs of people turned away either, so it isn’t a very popular tourist site. BUT it was really cool to visit!”) This was an old tenement building built, if I recall correctly, in the mid 1800s. The building was constructed by a couple from Britain in the early days of the convict colony, and it followed a stout brick design that was more suited to Britain’s climate than Australia’s. There were multiple fireplaces throughout that were apparently barely used– cold wasn’t generally the problem in Sydney, heat was.
The building was named after the couple’s niece, Susannah, and that is how it came to be named Susannah Place. The guide here explained the difference between restoration and conservation. With restoration, a building is returned to a certain state that it was once in, whereas in conservation the buildings are maintained as unaltered as possible, with only modifications to prevent structural damage or risk of injury.
Because these buildings were “conserved” how they were found, they were in somewhat ramshackle condition, with cracked plaster and paint– but it was maintained in that state for a reason. The rooms were decorated with various furnishings from various time periods that the building was in use. It was interesting to get a glimpse into how people lived at various times in Sydney’s past.
At one time this was a quality residential building, and quite affluent people rented the four apartments. But time has long since passed it by. By modern standards, the buildings were extremely substandard. For example, the houses did not have a running hot water line, and didn’t even have a bathroom with a tub or shower inside the house! Because of that, I found it a bit terrifying to learn that the buildings were still in use as rentals as late as the mid 1990s! I don’t think that in the California, you’d even have been allowed to rent these things out at such recent times! To this day, the only bathroom facilities were in a detached outhouse. Originally baths were taken in large metal tubs after water was boiled. Eventually an outside bathhouse was built. Originally, the kitchen was outside as well. Some apartments were later modified and an indoor stove was installed in one of the fireplaces.
Although I enjoyed seeing Susannah Place, like the Justice and Police Museum it would be kind of limited for a standalone experience. I think both of these museums are best visited as part of the four museum pass, which is probably why it is offered.
Rounding out the day, we hopped on the train and took it to North Sydney, and found a shopping area with two grocery stores, as well as several restaurants. We stopped in to the Coles and purchased some much needed supplies (Coca-Cola, corn chips, salsa, and raspberries). We also checked out the Aldi around the corner but could not find anything of interest there– it seemed to be selling mostly odd things not available in a standard store.
Turning our attention to dinner we passed on Hungry Jacks and Pizza Hut, before briefly considering a “California Mexican Restaurant”. Ultimately we didn’t have the guts to eat there (pun intended), and instead selected a reasonably priced Thai food place, where we ordered some “take away”. The Thai food was decent and actually quite similar to what you would get in San Diego, although not quite up to par with what we usually get back home. We took the Thai food back to our hotel’s nice outdoor sitting area and finished the day with a very enjoyable meal.
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