Sydney is one of the few places that offers you the ability to actually climb up an icon known across the world. When I visited I was told by my friends the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb was some I had to book. The experience has been voted their number one attraction and it isn’t hard to see why.

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Climbing an Icon

Sometimes when booking an experience the time of day can make or break your enjoyment. With the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb you can never be disappointed. If you go early in the morning you are treated to a stunning sunrise over the Opera House. But climbing in the evening allows you to watch the sunset over the city. You also descend into the darkness creating a whole new experience. No two climbs will be the same so whenever you decide to go, it will always be truly unique.

I was originally booked on to do the sampler climb. But this route only takes you a quarter of the way up the bridge. However as the date of my climb approached I was already starting to regret not booking the sunset climb. Many people take the sampler option everyday and for a lot of them it’s enough. As for myself, it seemed ridiculous to travel halfway across the world only to complete a quarter of something. 

Suiting up

The experience starts with a safety briefing, meeting your Tour Guide and handing out your jumpsuits. There’s no point wearing something cool for your pictures as everyone has to wear one. Each jumpsuit looks a bit like the result of if MC Hammer worked for NASA.

Our Tour Guide for the climb was Dash. He made a point of telling us that every group has one person who doesn’t listen and puts on their jumpsuit back to front. That person was me. As I awkwardly shuffled out to ask for help getting out of it I could hear him say “there’s our one”.

After my wardrobe malfunction, we had to have a practice climb before we were allowed out. This was on a rig built inside the centre so that we would know what to expect outside. Using the ladders and safety rail and we all made our way across without issue. So we were permitted to to exit and step out onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Setting foot onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge

As you start the climb you are given a radio and headphones so you can hear the tour guide over the wind. Dash was an amazing guide who was able to answer every question we threw at him and was making jokes along the way.

If you are debating which of the climbs below would be best, I would honestly recommend the full Summit Climb. You will find 3.5 hours will go so quickly, and the money is worth every cent as the view of the Opera House is unparalleled. There is no better way to learn all about the history of Sydney and how it was built.

Blinky Bill Viewpoint

The very top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is home to a flashing red light affectionately named “Blinky Bill” which is there to warn low-flying aircraft, but also acts as a marker for when you have reached the peak. When you stand under this light you are 134 metres above ground, and your reward is nothing short of spectacular. The view was breathtaking, wind was whipping around me and the city was giving me the most incredible light show.

I loved watching the boats move across the harbour, and had what was indisputably the best view of the Opera House in Sydney as Dash regaled us with facts about the history of Australia. It was at this point Dash took some photos and videos of me to document our climb, some of which I have scattered across this post.

Before I knew it I was being told that we had to start our descent. There’s a certain level of intensity going down that you don’t get climbing up. A lot of the excitement comes from the part where some ladders between two train lines crossing the bridge. Before we knew it though we were back inside taking off our jumpsuits. I said my thank you and goodbyes, and collected my photos. Still full of excitement from the climb, I finished the night off by heading back to the coffee shop to check the photos out and wind down before retiring to my hostel bed.