Just how scary is this Bridge Climb? I have heard that it is spectacular and safe and not scary. On the other hand, I tried climbing the ladders at Bandolier Nat'l Park near Santa Fe and froze half way up out of terror. Is it possible to have a guided walk across the bridge without actually climbing to the (gulp) top?

Hi Barge,

The Bridge Climb is indeed spectacular and safe; you're in a special suit, attached by a harness and walk up at a moderate pace.

However, that being said,if you have a fear of heights, no one telling you that it's safe is going to help. Your MIND may be telling you it's ok, but your FEET may be reluctant to move!

It's for this reason that I advise clients to wait until they get to Sydney to book this. Looking at the website is fine, but when you're standing at the base and see how big it is, you may have second thoughts. And those tickets are non-refundable (although I have gotton a refund for a client, which was very nice of them).

It's better to wait and see what your comfort level is. Myself, I have a fear of swimming/snorkelling, etc, but I still do it! I know that I CAN swim, but I still have a mild panic attack each time I go into the water. When I snorkel, I have a life vest on, so my mind's ok with that, but my heart's racing (until I see my first fish and then I forget to be afraid)!

Hope this is helpful!

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Aussie Specialist

Good advice! Thanks for the quick reply.

Just a word on "guided walks across the bridge" seeing as it wasn't mentioned by Melodie. Not entirely sure what you mean. But you don't need a guide to walk across the bridge - you can do it anytime (and it's a good thing to do!) all by yourself. There is a pedestrians only walkway on the eastern side - access from Cumberland St in the Rocks (south side) or close to Milson's Point railway stn (north side).

For a scaled down version of the climb thing, check out the steps up inside the SE pylon. There is a display there too about the building of the bridge - and the view from the top is fantastic. It costs $5, though I haven't been for a while so it may have gone up.

Yes the pylon is still only $5 Au and it's a great climb for those of us who'd love to see a lot of the city and NOT from the top of the bridge.

Hubby took the bridge climb while Ellen chickened out and did the pylon.
I LOVED IT!!

I think Melodie's advice is very good. I climbed (72) but never tried to get my husband to do it because of his fear of heights. I have seen him seize on a very high bridge while driving and I had to take over. While climbing, we saw a woman being led down very carefully and alone, with a guide, unable to complete the climb. So the safeguards are there for you.

Wait until you get to Sydney as suggested, to pick a nice day to climb. Our agent in Australia advised we do this so we could watch the weather predictions.

I dont know how difficult or scary Bandolier Nat'l Park is, but the suspension bridge at Capilano British Columbia, Canada, scared me far more than the Sydney Bridge climb.

At the bridge climb you are secured not only by a cable, but the cable runs along a track that locks at regular intervals and you have to actually lift your attachment over it to get to the next step. You are guided all the way.

I found the first part walking on the catwalk a little scary so maybe it's a good idea not to look down, but it was not far and once off it, it was great all the way. The climb was not difficult if you are in reasonably good shape. If you are a little scared they will be asking you before the climb and will place you in a good position, probably behind your guide.

Either way, enjoy Sydney.



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Here is my experience, I had bad motion sickness (from taking all the ferries) + slight leftover vertigo (from scuba diving)...and I still (although very hesitantly) did the climb. It was really awesome! But I will say that I NEVER looked down - spent most of the time focused on climbing and looking out into the horizon. While I was scared going up - the sunset and the view of the city was totally worth it.

My Husband and I did the Bridge Climb in September. I do have a fear of heights and found that the anticipation of the climb was much worse that the climb itself. You are, as previous posters have mentioned, completely "hooked in". The only part which was a little iffy was, as Michi mentioned, the catwalk near the beginning of the climb. Just don't look down there. After that, it's not bad at all. The actual arch section is very wide, with good handrails and solid under your feet. By that time you are so busy with the views that there's no time to be nervous about it!! It's an experience not to be missed!!

DKW

This is something we are looking to do also, when we are in Sydney Feb. 21-24th. I was going to book online in advance, but see the suggestions that it might be better to wait. Is there a risk all spots will be filled during that time, or should we have no problem booking onsite. Thanks!

Just a quick response. I just did the climb in November. I booked it before we left for Australia. I am deathly afraid of heights. The area that I had the most trouble with was the four ladders. At the start of the fourth ladder I just wanted to stop. but knowing that the rest of the group was waiting to go up I continued. But the whole time I just thought that there better be an elevator at the top to bring me down because I was not going any further. Once past that I was fine. It was so wide open that I didn't feel the height. I was able to just look forward. I did look at the view, I am so glad that I did it. The guides where very nice to me. I was the first to climb and they kept giving me encouragement.

bargem

In Sydney we went to GoWay Travel and talked to Brooke Coughlin who suggested we check out the weather before setting the date for the climb. There was no presure, an abundance of information, and pleasant service. To boot - free internet service and I must have spent at least an hour on it.

I don't know how much time you have, but you can probably get good answers from her by email. We used her services for arranging day trips and she was excellent. [email protected]

Another suggestion. With long distance being so cheap these days, call the Bridge Climb directly to get the best information. It's worth it. When calling long distance for information, I always let them know that at the beginning of the conversation so they won't put me on hold to answer other calls. It usually works.

When are you going and let us know what you decided.

We climbed the Bridge on December 23rd; we made reservations beforehand on the BridgeClimb website because of the large number of Sydney visitors at that time of year. We were glad that we did, as there were very few openings.

As someone else mentioned, the ladders (for me) were the hardest part. Once I got up those, it was a piece of cake! The view is awesome from up top, and the guides do an excellent job of telling the bridge's "story".

My family (2 adults and 2 teenagers) did not find the height aspect to be scary at all.

Best of luck!

Also did the climb (June 03 ) and both my husband and I have a sorta fear of heights.

I found that the beginning has some open grates and that was pretty scary but while actually up higher and moving up the stairs of the actual bridge part was okay because you couldn't see through where you were putting your feet - meaning it was "enclosed".

Not sure if you understand what I am describing but that made all the difference to me !

Dawn

I did the climb with a friend who is extremely afraid of heights. He asked to be sandwiched between a few of us, but he did fine and even managed to take a few peaks at the view.

Celebrate after with drinks at the Mercantile in the Rocks.

We also climbed the bridge on December 21. I made advance reservations, because of our tight schedule. I wanted to make sure that we would be able to do it. As several other people have said, the worst part is the catwalk at the beginning and the ladder section (4 ladders, one after the other). They have someone at the bottom of each ladder, with only one person going at a time, so you don't feel rushed. My calves hurt after the climb, I think from the ladders. You are connected to the bridge the entire time. There is no way that you can fall. My husband who is afraid of heights climbed, myself and my brother. Also, a friend that lives in Sydney who is around 70 years old climbed the bridge with us and he was fine. It is an awesome experience. I'm glad we did it.