BridgeClimb Sydney
| Industry | Tourism |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder | Paul Cave, AM |
| Headquarters | Sydney, Australia |
| Website | BridgeClimb |
BridgeClimb Sydney is an Australian tourist attraction.
BridgeClimb Sydney is the company that provides climb experiences to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Over 3 million visitors from over 137 different countries and territories have climbed the southern half of the bridge.[1]
Four different types of climbs can be taken throughout dawn, day, twilight and night, originating with The Bridge Climb, which guides climbers to the top of the bridge in a round-trip that takes over three hours. To better explore the engineering of the structure, The Discovery Climb guides guests to the heart of the steel bridge and then to the top. The Express Climb is offered for a shortened experience.[2] In January 2012, BridgeClimb introduced a fourth climb option, the Mandarin Climb, where guests are taken on a climb by a Mandarin-speaking guide.[3]
There have been over 4,000 proposals[4] at the summit of the bridge and couples also have the option to get married on the bridge, 134 meters above Sydney Harbour. The experience has also attracted many famous actors, musicians and members of royalty,[5] including cast members of The Biggest Loser,[6] Kylie Minogue, Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, Robert De Niro, Prince Harry and more recently Oprah Winfrey.[7]
In 2002, Ross Stephens and Giles Tuffin successfully traversed the bridge in full costume, and successfully raised $97,000 for charity.
Anyone over the age of ten 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.[8]
History
The concept of BridgeClimb was born in 1989 when BridgeClimb’s Founder and Chairman, Paul Cave, AM,[9] 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 October 1, 1998. At that time, BridgeClimb was the first tourism operator on a bridge anywhere in the world.[10]
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.[11]
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.[12]
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.[13]
In 2007, BridgeClimb was awarded best “Major Tourist Attraction” at the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.[14] Also, Lonely Planet has recognised BridgeClimb Sydney as one of the world's top 10 'Biggest Adrenaline Rush' experiences[15] as well as one of the ‘10 Best Things to Climb'.[16] More recently, in 2011 and 2012, BridgeClimb was awarded ‘Best Guided Tour in Australia’ at the Australian Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards.[17]
References
- ↑ eTravelBlackboard.com eTravel Blackboard News article citing BridgeClimb's visitor statistics. Retrieved on 21-10-2013.
- ↑ TravelWeekly.com.au Archived December 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Travel Weekly article discussing different climb options. Retrieved on 9-13-2011.
- ↑ Backpackertradenews.com.au Archived October 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Backpacker Trade News article announcing the launch of the new Mandarin Climb. Retrieved 25-10-2013.
- ↑ Telegraph.co.uk The Telegraph article on bridge marriages. Retrieved on 9-12-2011.
- ↑ LEP.co.uk Lancashire Evening Post article referring to famous BridgeClimb guests. Retrieved 9-12-2011.
- ↑ BiggestLoser.org Photos of Biggest Loser contestants on the bridge. Retrieved 9-12-2011.
- ↑ HeraldSun.com Herald Sun article about Oprah climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Retrieved on 9-12-2011.
- ↑ News.com.au Article on news.com.au citing Lloyd Poulton’s 50th climb celebration. Retrieved 22-10-13.
- ↑ TravelWeekly.com.au Archived December 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Article on TravelWeekly.com citing Paul Cave as founder. Retrieved 9-12-2011.
- ↑ DynamicBusiness.com Dynamic Business article referencing company's history. Retrieved on 9-12-2011.
- ↑ BridgeClimb.com BridgeClimb press release. Retrieved on 9-12-2011.
- ↑ PylonLookout.com.au Pylon Lookout listing of BridgeClimb as manager. Retrieved 9-12-2011.
- ↑ SMH.com.au Article citing Guinness World Record. Retrieved on 9-12-2011.
- ↑ SMH.com.au The Sydney Morning Herald article referencing QAT award. Retrieved on 9-12-2011.
- ↑ AusLeisure.com.au Australasian Leisure magazine reference of accolade from Lonely Planet. Retrieved on 9-12-2011.
- ↑ eTravelBlackboard.us eTravelBlackboard's reference of accolade from Lonely Planet. Retrieved on 9-12-2011.
- ↑ Australiantraveller.com Article by Australian Traveller announcing 2012 winners. Retrieved 25-10-13.