|
 |
 |
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is one of the world's most distinctive buildings. It was
built in 1973. The opera house faces the harbour. The soaring roofs swell upward
like giant sails of a ship. The building contains a concert hall, opera theatre,
drama theatre, cinema, recording hall, and reception hall. Daily tours are
offered to the public.
Areas not open to the public include scenery docks administration offices,
kitchens, pantries, cold-rooms, laundries, wardrobe and wig rooms, and two vast
areas underground housing the air-conditioning, electrical infrastructure, and security
operations. Since 1993 there has also been a 1,100-space car park winding below
the huge complex. The entire building occupies around 1.82 hectares (4.5 acres)
of its 2.23 hectare (5.5 acre) site.
In all there are 800 separate areas and 2,200 doors. The building is 183 metres
(600 feet) long and at its widest point, 118 metres (388 feet) wide. Its
foundations are concrete and its structure is of reinforced concrete. The
highest roof is 67.4 metres (222 feet) above sea level, and its shell roofs,
with an area of 18,500 square metres (1999,030 square feet) are covered with
1.056 million glossy white and matt cream Swedish-made tiles. The glass windows
are over 6223 square metres (66,971 square feet) of glass.
Sydney Opera House is managed by the Sydney Opera House Trust. This was
established in 1961, although the number of members has reduced and the
committee reconstituted by new legislation enacted in early 1969. Its chief
executive is the general manager of the Sydney Opera House.
Sydney Opera House is open for nearly 16 hours a day, every day of the year
except Christmas Day and Good Friday. There are staff on duty at all times,
every day.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge, also affectionately known as the 'Coathanger', was
opened on March 19th 1932 by Premier Jack Lang, after six years of construction.
Made of steel the bridge contains 6 million hand driven rivets. The surface area
that requires painting is equal to about the surface area of 60 sports fields.
The Bridge has huge hinges to absorb the expansion caused by the hot Sydney sun.
You will see them on either side of the bridge at the footings of the Pylons.
Sydney Harbour Bridge History
The displaced peoples of Europe who came to Australia in the days of the grand
ships can get very misty when you ask them what they felt when they saw this
grand old arch on their arrival in Sydney from the aftermath of World War Two as
they sailed up Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour). The old Bridge has been replaced
as "the" landmark of Sydney by the bold architecture of the Opera House.
“The Coat hanger” will remain in your memory whenever you think of Sydney after
your visit.
When it opened it cost a car six pence to cross. A horse and rider was 3 pence.
These days a return trip (for some reason the only kind) costs two dollars
twenty (gst). Horses and riders are banned, that's the changing times. You can
walk across free and you are allowed to bicycle in a special lane.
Sydney Harbour Bridge is the world's largest (but not longest as that’s the New
River Gorge in the USA) steel arch bridge, and, in its beautiful harbour
location, has become a renowned international symbol of Australia.
Its total length including approach spans is 1149 metres and its arch span is
503 metres. The top of the arch is 134 metres above sea level and the clearance
for shipping under the deck is a spacious 49 metres. The total steelwork weighs
52,800 tonnes, including 39,000 tonnes in the arch. The 49 metre wide deck makes
Sydney Harbour Bridge the widest Longspan Bridge in the world.
It now carries eight vehicle lanes, two train lines, a footway and a cycleway.
After inviting worldwide tenders in 1922, the New South Wales Government
received twenty proposals from six companies and on 24 March 1924; the contract
(for Australian 4,217,721 pounds 11 shillings and 10 pence!) was let to the
English firm Dorman Long and Co of Middlesbrough.
The general design was prepared by Dr J.J.C Bradfield and officers of the NSW
Department of Public Works, while the detailed design and crucial erection
process were undertaken by the contractors consulting engineer Mr (later Sir)
Ralph Freeman of Sir Douglas Fox and Partners and his associate Mr. G.C Imbault.
Some other designs that where not chosen can be found here.
As Chief Engineer of Sydney Harbour Bridge and Metropolitan Railway Construction
from 1912, Dr Bradfield is regarded as the "father" of the Bridge as it was his
vision, enthusiasm, engineering expertise and detailed supervision of all
aspects of its construction which brought Sydney's long held dream into reality.
The contractors, under Director of Construction, Lawrence Ennis, set up two
workshops at Milsons Point on the North Shore. Here, the steel (79% imported
from England, 21% from Australian sources) was fabricated into girders etc.
The foundations for the four main bearings, which carry the full weight of the
main span were dug to a depth of 12.2 metres and filled with special reinforced
high-grade concrete laid in hexagonal formations.
The four impressive, decorative 89 metre high pylons are made of concrete, faced
with granite, quarried near Moruya, where about 250 Australian, Scottish and
Italian stonemasons and their families lived in a temporary settlement. Three
ships were specifically built to carry the 18,000 cubic metres of cut, dressed
and numbered granite blocks, 300km north to Sydney.
After the approach spans were erected, work began on the main arch. Two
half-arches were built out progressively from each shore, each held back by 128
cables anchored underground through U-shaped tunnels. Steel members were
fabricated in the workshops, placed onto barges, towed into position on the
harbour and lifted up by two 580 tonne electrically operated creeper cranes,
which erected the half-arches before them as they travelled forward.
There was great excitement on 20 August 1930 after the arch was successfully
joined at 10pm the night before. The steel decking was then hung from the arch
and was all in place within nine months, being built from the centre outwards to
save time moving the cranes.
As the project neared completion, the last of approximately six million
Australian made rivets were driven through the deck on 21 January 1932. In
February 1932 the Bridge was test loaded using up to 96 steam locomotives placed
in various configurations.
The official opening day on Saturday 19 March 1932 was a momentous occasion,
drawing remarkable crowds (estimated between 300,000 and one million people) to
the city and around the harbour foreshores. The NSW Premier, the Hon. John T.
Lang, officially declared the Bridge open. However, the Premier enlivened
proceedings when Captain Francis De Groot of the para-military group, the New
Guard, slashed the ribbon prematurely with his sword, prior to the official
cutting. This incident caused both amusement and dismay on the day and has since
become part of Australian folklore.
The opening celebrations included a vast cavalcade of decorated floats, marching
groups and bands proceeding through the city streets and across the deck in a
pageant of surprising size and quality, considering the economic depression.
The celebrations continued with a gun-salute, a procession of passenger ships
under the Bridge, a 'Venetian' carnival, a fly-past, fireworks, sports carnivals
and exhibitions. After the pageant the public was allowed to walk across the
deck.... an event not repeated until the 50th anniversary of the Bridge in 1982.
The Harbour Bridge is an essential artery feeding traffic to and from Sydney.
The cranes had played a very important part in both the construction and ongoing
maintenance of the bridge. During construction of the main arch between 1929 and
1931, two huge creeper cranes moved outwards, laying their tracks as they
progressed. Behind them moved the four maintenance cranes, used initially by the
riveting and painting gangs until they had to be dismantled to allow the creeper
cranes to pass by and be removed in pieces near the pylons. The maintenance
cranes were then re-erected on the arch and remained in service until their
removal in 1997.
- Length of arch span 503 metres
- Height of top of arch 134 metres about mean sea level
- Height to top of aircraft beacon 141 metres above mean sea level
- Width of deck 49 metres
- Clearance for Shipping 49 metres
- Height of Pylons 89 metre above mean sea level
- Base of each abutment tower 68 metres across and 48 metres long (two pylons rest
on each abutment tower)
- Total length of bridge 1149 metres including approach spans
- Paint required 272,000 litres of paint were required to give the Bridge its
initial three coats.
- In June 1976, the one-billionth vehicle crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The
first 500 million crossings took over 33 years while the second 500 million took
less than 11 years.
- In 1932, the annual average daily traffic volume (in both directions) was about
10,900.
- In 1943, with a wartime shortage of vehicles and petrol rationing, there was a
drop in traffic to about 8,600 vehicles a day.
(NB: Harbour Tunnel opened 31st August 1992)
Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan, most famous for his role as Mick Dundee in the 1986 blockbuster film
Crocodile Dundee used to work on top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge's famous iron
coat hanger arch. This was before he was discovered on a television program New
Faces in 1973.
You can have a close hand look while you are in Sydney by visiting the South
Eastern Pylon. It is a walking trip and recommended for the fit only. It is a
longish walk to get to the base of the Pylon and then there are 200 steps to the
top. The views and photo opportunities are fantastic. (If you can make it, we've got
to say it is tough). There is a great display on how the thing was built. It has
a similar place in Sydney history to the Statue of Liberty in New York as far as
many migrants to Australia go. In sight of the bridge you knew you had made it.
Popular Places to Visit
- Three Sisters
- Blackheath
- Scenic Railway & Cable Car
- Zig Zag Railway
- Hydro Majestic Hotel
- Martin's Lookout
- Mount Tomah
- Historic Hartley Village
One & Two Day Activities
- Blue Mountains & Jenolan Caves (10 hours)
- Delux Blue Mountain Eco Tour
- Blue Mountains & Australian Wildlife Tour
- Full Day 4WD Explorer Trek
- Deluxe Blue Mountains Eco Experience - 2 Days
- Blue Mountains High Country 4WD Ecotour
- Blue Mountains and Australian Wildlife - Fairmont Resort (2 days)
- Blue Mountains and Australian Wildlife - Lilianfels (2 days)
- Blue Mountains Express (7 hours)
Blue Mountain Tours & Activities
The Blue Mountains in New South Wales embraces 26 townships in an area of 1433
square kilometres. The townships are situated from 50 to 120 km west of Sydney
and are within 1,000 square kilometres of this World Heritage listed National
Park.
The Blue Mountains was declared a World Heritage park in November 2000. It was
nominated for its outstanding natural values, including the biodiversity of its
plant and animal communities, its vegetation, which is dominated by Australia\'s
unique eucalypts, and for the beauty of its natural landscapes.
The region offers a myriad of activities for the visitor from bush walking, to
browsing for antiques, adventuring through lime stone caves, with the Jenolan
Caves with its 40 kilometres of multi level passageways as a spectacular
example, enjoying the native gardens, travelling on the zig-zag railway, taking
one of the many Eco Tours or just lazing about one of many tranquil townships
dotted throughout the region.
Visitors' Information Centres
There is a new Sydney Visitors Centre located in the same building as the Rocks
Visitors Centre, at 106 George Street (near Circular Quay), which provides
information on the Metropolitan Sydney area. An innovative series of booking
boards are in place for day tours, backpackers accommodation and hotel
accommodation, with special phone facilities for obtaining further information.
The centre also has a supply of brochures dealing with regional New South Wales.
The New South Wales Travel Centre is situated at 11 York Street, just above
Wynyard Station. It is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm
Saturday.
The CitiRail Host Centre is opposite No. 5 jetty at Circular Quay. It is open
from 9am to 5pm, seven days a week. There is an information kiosk in Martin
Place, near Castlereagh Street, that is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
There are information booths at the top of Sydney Tower and at Darling Harbour,
both open seven days a week.
Galleries and Museums
Within The Rocks district the Museum of Contemporary Art, The Merchants House,
Susannahs Place, and Cadman's Cottage (at 110 George Street), which was built in
1816 as barracks for the crew of the governor's boats and is Sydney's oldest
surviving dwelling.
Can't find what you're looking
for?
Try a web search
or site search:
|
