Lewis the Lion had been intrigued to learn more about Sydney’s famous landmark, The Sydney Harbour Bridge because it reminded him so much of the bridge back in his own city in Newcastle upon Tyne: The Tyne Bridge. (Do you remember when Lewis the Lion took a video of the Tyne Bridge? Click here to see it again). My goodness, he’d forgotten how lovely, soft and clean he was before this big adventure!
Lewis the Lion visits the Sydney Harbour Bridge Pylon Lookout
So, he discovered that in the internal parts of one of the bridge towers, ‘The Pylon’ was a dedicated museum explaining all about it. Being the curious cat that we know he is, he just had to learn more…
Therefore, one bright Sunday morning, he, Helen, Michelle and another fellow Geordie (somebody from Newcastle upon Tyne), Ian plodded along to see what they could see.
Lewis the Lion is on the pedestrian pathway to cross the iconic bridge
Lewis the Lion was pleased to have some of his suspicions confirmed as soon as he entered the Pylon Lookout as the man selling the entrance tickets told Lewis the Lion that the Tyne Bridge was the first bridge in the world to be built in this way (as a single span bridge)
The Tyne Bridge looks tiny in comparison but it was the original!
and that the same architects had then designed the Sydney Harbour Bridge a few years later. No wonder it looked familiar then! The building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge had commenced in 1924 and was officially opened in 1932.
Lewis pretends he’s joining in the inaugural celebrations
Rather sadly Lewis the Lion learnt that in those days, health and safety was not a feature in the workplace and without harnesses and safety rails, 16 men lost their lives during the construction work.
Lewis the Lion sees photos of the Bridge construction
However, an impressive bridge it is indeed as its two-hinged steel arch and 4 pylons support a lot of weight: four railway lines, six roadways and two footpaths.
Lots of lanes of traffic flow back and forth across this iconic bridge
It was designed by Dorman Long and Co Ltd. of Middlesborough, England.
Lewis the Lion reads about the ‘Giant Coat hanger’
It’s nickname is the ‘Giant Coat Hanger’ and it wasn’t long before it became a national and international icon of modern Australia.
Phase one of its construction
The next phases in its construction
Today the Sydney Harbour Bridge is still the largest and heaviest steel arch bridge ever built but the Bayonne Bridge in America is still 63 cm longer.
Quick facts and answers about the Bridge
Lewis then enjoyed learning how the bridge was constructed and did a cool question and answer session. Here are some of the questions he learnt the answers to:
Q: How long did is take to make the bridge?
A: 7 years and 356 days.
Q: What is the bridge made of?
A: 52,800 tons of steel, 17,000 cubic metres of granite and 95,000 cubic metres of concrete.
Q: What type of bridge is the Sydney Harbour Bridge?
A: A two hinged single span steel arch.
Q: What is the length of the arch span?
A: 503 metres
Q: Why was this type of bridge chosen?
A: Because a steel arch would look impressive and imposing and could accommodate heavy loads.
Q: How long does it take to paint the bridge?
A: Constant inspections of the steelwork are made and painting is carried out on an ‘as required’ basis. The bridge is not painted from one side to the other as is often assumed.
Q: Why is the bridge painted grey?
A: Grey is the closest colour to the natural colour of steel. It is also a very practical colour as it doesn’t show dirt and dust.
Lewis the Lion looks over to the Sydney Opera House
He then went to explore the fabulous views from the top of the Pylon, looking down at the impressive harbour. He was truly awed at the spectacular vantage point as you can see in this video clip.
From here he could see that a huge cruise ship had docked in the harbour
A huge cruise ship has docked in the harbour
and that many boats and yachts were enjoying the sunshine on the waterways.
Lewis the Lion and Helen looking over the Sydney Harbour
From here he also had a perfect view of the Sydney Opera House directly opposite, not to mention the bridge itself.
Lewis the Lion pretends that he’s nearly the same height as the Sydney Harbour Bridge
From up here, he could see people climbing the acclaimed bridge.
The Australian flags fly high whilst some people do the bridge climb
Helen had thought about it but decided against it as it cost too much money and besides, she thought the views from the Pylon were equally dramatic. What do you think?
As Lewis the Lion climbed back down the steps of this Sydney landmark, he felt really happy to have learnt so much about the impressive engineering behind such a great bridge.
That’s a resounding “Yes!” from Lewis the Lion
As he walked out into the Sydney sunshine, from a manmade beauty to one of nature’s beauties, he also enjoyed passing by the beautiful, purple Jacaranda trees out in full bloom.
There are more wonderful Jacaranda trees here in Sydney
Lewis the Lion felt so happy to be in Australia to be appreciating all these wonderful things!
Lewis the Lion just loved the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Do you have a favourite bridge or construction in the world? If so, what is it and why?
