Perhaps the main reason Stevo and I ended up in Australia at this time of year was the Ashes Test Cricket. He had sent me a message out of the blue a few weeks earlier saying he wanted to tick off a bucket list item, he’s a huge cricket fan and wanted to see an Ashes test down under. I’m always looking for an excuse to head back to Australia so when the text came through I grabbed my laptop, ran around to his house and we had it all booked within minutes.
Another item that was on both of our bucket lists was to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We’ve both spent time in Sydney before and had regretted not doing the Bridge Climb. We knew we couldn’t miss the opportunity again so decided to go all out and book it.
You climb in groups of 10 so Stevo and I jumped at the chance to go first in the line. I’m not scared of heights myself but you’re strapped to the bridge via a harness so you feel comfortable and safe at all times. No cameras or phones are allowed but you do get 1 free group picture in with the cost, we took one look at the other shots though and decided we needed the lot. It’s understandable why they don’t allow items to be carried on the bridge, you wouldn’t want anything falling on you if you’re a pedestrian or in a vehicle on the road below.
During the climb you are given a set of headphones and a radio, our excellent guide talked us through the history of the bridge and of Sydney itself. It had been a pretty warm day but there are multiple drinking fountains along the way so you can stay hydrated.
Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge was without a doubt one of the greatest experiences I’ve had the privilege of doing. I’ll be the first to admit it isn’t cheap but to me it was worth every penny (or Dollar/Cent). We were extremely lucky with the weather and we timed it just right to have our pictures taken during golden hour. All in all the experience lasted about 3 1/2 hours, an hour of which is a safety briefing and getting kitted out. The remaining time is spent out on the bridge itself taking in the views and marveling at it’s fascinating structure.
In total we managed to catch 3 days of the Ashes Cricket at the Sydney Cricket Ground, days 2, 3 and 4. We had tickets for days 3 & 4 but we managed to drop very lucky and find a guy who had 2 spare tickets outside the venue. The tickets had a great view of the action and luckily for us they were in the shade all day. That was the main priority, making sure we didn’t spend too much time in the direct sunlight as it was 40+ Degrees every day.
I’d only ever see cricket at Trent Bridge in Nottingham England and some games at the Adelaide Oval myself. It was a thoroughly enjoyed few days at the SCG and the atmosphere was great even if England hadn’t won the series. The Barmy Army fans weren’t put off by the fact England had lost as they were in good spirits and singing loudly until the end :-).
We did lots of sightseeing during the evening’s after the cricket but on one particular night we were invited to a BBQ. Stevo’s friend Dan was over for the entire Ashes Test Series and was staying with his friend Alex while in Sydney. The rooftop BBQ area had great views of the city skyline so I couldn’t resist the opportunity to get some pictures and video.
After our time in Sydney we headed to Canberra with my father for an adventure in the Kosciuszko National Park. I’ll have a blog post online with maps very soon.
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All music by Dean Read. Footage shot with a Canon 7D with a 17-40mm lens, an iPhone 6 Plus and it was edited in iMovie.
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