BridgeClimb asks Australians to share their stories and artefacts of the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Ahead of the Sydney Harbour Bridge's 90th birthday on 19th March 2022, BridgeClimb is asking Australians to share their untold stories and artefacts of the Bridge - one of Australia’s most recognised and photographed landmarks.

All submissions are welcome and can relate to the construction or maintenance of the Bridge, or be a unique piece of Bridge memorabilia, or hold a special memory.

BridgeClimb Chief Executive Deb Zimmer believes that some incredible stories and artefacts will be discovered over the next few months noting “everyone has a story that involves the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Whether you've scaled to the summit with us, watched it put on a spectacular New Year's Eve fireworks display, or simply taken a train ride over it, the Bridge has played a part in many people's lives and we’re so excited to see what we uncover throughout this process.”

The Sydney Harbour Bridge opened to the first cars (and horses) on 19th March 1932. One of the lesser-known stories of the Sydney Harbour Bridge involves elephants and a horse and is most likely the first publicity stunt to ever take place on the Bridge. On the 3rd April 1932, Wirth’s Circus took seven elephants and a Shetland pony across the newly opened Bridge to promote their show. Records show the toll collectors charged two pence per elephant.

A story most Australians are familiar with is Paul Hogan’s career pre-stardom. At the age of 23, Hogan got a job as a rigger on the Sydney Harbour Bridge (above) which, in the 1970s, required "nerves of steel". He worked on the Bridge for over a decade and, during this time, was discovered and thrust into the international limelight.

Over the years, the Sydney Harbour Bridge - rising 134 metres above sea level and 503 metres long - has been fondly described as the coat hanger, a symphony of steel, the arch that cut the sky, and even the humpback whale. But of all the nicknames Sydney's iconic landmark received in the past 90 years, the iron lung is one that echoes its significance for those who built it, breathing life back into Sydney at what was a tough time for many and provided work to thousands of people across NSW. Admired worldwide as an engineering marvel thanks to the genius of chief proponent John Job Crew Bradfield, the Bridge’s steelwork alone weighs 52,800 tonnes and is held together by 6 million rivets, each one driven in by hand.

All story and artefact submissions will be reviewed for possible inclusion, in time, within the Pylon Lookout and Museum – the home of the history of the Bridge.

Submit here

Images from top: Sydney Harbour Bridge Elephants. Credit: Tim Hood; Paul Hogan. Credit: John Carnemolla; Sydney Harbour Bridge Joining 1931. Credit: State Library NSW; Sydney Harbour Bridge. Credit: BridgeClimb