BridgeClimb Sydney

BridgeClimb Sydney
Industry Tourism
Founded 1 October 1998
Founder Paul Cave
Headquarters Sydney, Australia
Owner Brett Blundy
Paul Cave
Jack Cowin
Website www.bridgeclimb.com
Climbers on the Sydney Harbour Bridge

BridgeClimb Sydney is an Australian tourist attraction.

The company provides climb experiences to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Over 3.5 million visitors from over 137 different countries and territories have climbed the southern half of the bridge.[1]

Four different types of climbs are offered, as of December 2017. The BridgeClimb, which was initially the only option, takes guests to the top of the bridge along the upper arch in a round-trip that takes over three hours, including preparation time. BridgeClimb Express guides guests to the heart of the steel bridge and then to the top in just over 2 hours. BridgeClimb Sampler was introduced in 2014, for those who are short on time or concerned about heights: in just one hour and a half, climbers ascend the inner arch to a unique vantage point half way to the top.[2] Finally, the Mandarin Climb, introduced in January 2012, follows the standard BridgeClimb or BridgeClimb Express route and is led by a Mandarin-speaking guide. Mandarin Climbs are available daily at 10am and 3pm.[3] The different route options are available in time-of-day variants: dawn, day, twilight and night.

BridgeClimb also offers special climbs for some of Sydney’s events, like the Vivid Climb, the Ferrython Climb on Australia Day, or the Anzac Day Dawn Climb.[4]

There have been over 4,000 proposals[5] at the summit of the bridge and couples also have the option to get married on the bridge, 134 m (440 ft) above Sydney Harbour. The experience has also attracted many famous actors, musicians and members of royalty,[6] including cast members of The Biggest Loser,[7] Kylie Minogue, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, Robert De Niro, Prince Harry and more recently Oprah Winfrey and Zoolander (Ben Stiller).[7].[8]

Anyone over the age of eight years and in good health can climb. There is no maximum age, with the oldest climber being 100 years old. BridgeClimb's most frequent climber is 85-year-old Lloyd Poulton, who had done the climb 50 times as at August 2012.[9]

History

The concept of BridgeClimb was born in 1989 when BridgeClimb's Founder and Chairman, Paul Cave,[10] helped conduct a Young Presidents Organisation World Congress in Sydney, which included a climb over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Following this experience, Cave decided to make climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge a permanent attraction. This led to many years of dealing with state and local government bodies, community groups and many experts on safety, logistics, media, heritage and conservation issues. After nearly ten years of research and development, BridgeClimb Sydney was officially launched on 1 October 1998. At that time, BridgeClimb was the first tourism operator on a bridge anywhere in the world.[11]

In October 2009, BridgeClimb Sydney opened the Sydney Harbour Bridge Visitor Centre. The Visitor Centre houses a Bridge Exhibition and a high definition Bridge Cinema.[12]

The Bridge exhibition houses the stories of the Sydney Harbour Bridge through exhibits and interactive displays. This includes the stories of the engineers, designers, skilled tradesmen and labourers and the 16 men that lost their lives during its construction. The exhibition also documents the events that took place and the people that participated in the Sydney Harbour Bridge's famous opening ceremony in 1932.

The Pylon Lookout is also managed by BridgeClimb Sydney. The Pylon houses three levels of exhibits and climbers are provided with a free pass to the Pylon Lookout when checking in for their climb.[13]

Upon the being retendered in 2018, the franchise was awarded to the proprietors of Katoomba Scenic World for 20 years.[14]

Awards

The company has received numerous industry awards and accolades including a world record for number of flags flown on a bridge recognised by Guinness World Records.[15]

In 2007, BridgeClimb was awarded best “Major Tourist Attraction” at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.[16] Lonely Planet has recognised BridgeClimb Sydney as one of the world's top 10 'Biggest Adrenaline Rush' experiences[17] as well as one of the '10 Best Things to Climb'.[18] More recently, in 2011 and 2012, BridgeClimb was awarded 'Best Guided Tour in Australia' at the Australian Traveller Readers' Choice Awards.[19] In 2016, BridgeClimb was awarded ‘Best Guided Tour in Australia’ by the Australian Traveller Reader’s Choice Awards[20] and best ‘Major tourism Attraction’ at the New South Wales Tourism Awards.[21]

References

  1. ↑ eTravelBlackboard.com eTravel Blackboard News article citing BridgeClimb's visitor statistics. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  2. ↑ TravelWeekly.com.au Archived 5 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Travel Weekly article discussing different climb options. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
  3. ↑ Backpackertradenews.com.au Archived 29 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Backpacker Trade News article announcing the launch of the new Mandarin Climb. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  4. ↑ "Harbour Bridge dance floor a Vivid experience". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  5. ↑ Telegraph.co.uk The Telegraph article on bridge marriages. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  6. ↑ LEP.co.uk Lancashire Evening Post article referring to famous BridgeClimb guests. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  7. ↑ BiggestLoser.org Photos of Biggest Loser contestants on the bridge. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  8. ↑ HeraldSun.com Herald Sun article about Oprah climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  9. ↑ News.com.au Article on news.com.au citing Lloyd Poulton's 50th climb celebration. Retrieved 22-10-13.
  10. ↑ TravelWeekly.com.au Archived 5 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Article on TravelWeekly.com citing Paul Cave as founder. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  11. ↑ DynamicBusiness.com Dynamic Business article referencing company's history. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  12. ↑ BridgeClimb.com BridgeClimb press release. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  13. ↑ PylonLookout.com.au Pylon Lookout listing of BridgeClimb as manager. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  14. ↑ Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb awarded to Hammond Holdings for next 20 year2 ABC News 15 June 2018
  15. ↑ SMH.com.au Article citing Guinness World Record. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  16. ↑ SMH.com.au The Sydney Morning Herald article referencing QAT award. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  17. ↑ AusLeisure.com.au Australasian Leisure magazine reference of accolade from Lonely Planet. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  18. ↑ eTravelBlackboard.us eTravelBlackboard's reference of accolade from Lonely Planet. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  19. ↑ Australiantraveller.com Article by Australian Traveller announcing 2012 winners. Retrieved 25-10-13.
  20. ↑ "The Best Australian Experiences 2016 | Australian Traveller". Australian Traveller. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  21. ↑ "Article anouncing NSW Tourism Awards". www.nswtourismawards.com. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
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