Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney (must see)

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of Australia’s most recognisable engineering achievements, connecting the city centre with the North Shore across Sydney Harbour. Designed by Dr. J.J.C. Bradfield of the New South Wales Department of Public Works and built by Dorman Long & Co. of Middlesbrough, England, the bridge opened in 1932 after nearly a decade of construction. Spanning 503 metres between its granite-faced pylons and rising 134 metres above the water, it became a defining feature of Sydney’s skyline.

At 48.8 metres wide, it was the world’s widest long-span bridge upon completion—a record it held until Vancouver’s Port Mann Bridge opened in 2012. It also remains the world’s tallest steel arch bridge, renowned for its scale, symmetry, and strength.

The bridge’s two half-arches were built outward from each shore and met mid-span in 1930 with remarkable precision. More than six million rivets hold the structure together, its weight distributed through huge abutments rather than the pylons, which were included mainly for aesthetic balance and public reassurance. The granite used for the pylons was quarried at Moruya on the New South Wales south coast, and each of the four towers provides interior space for stairways and viewing platforms.

Carrying eight lanes of road traffic, two rail lines, a pedestrian walkway on the eastern side, and a cycleway on the western side, the bridge remains a vital transport link. The BridgeClimb, introduced in 1998, lets visitors scale the arch under guided supervision for panoramic harbour views, while the Pylon Lookout Museum exhibits models, photographs, and historical records. Painted in the distinctive “Harbour Bridge Grey,” the structure undergoes continuous maintenance, including an ongoing repainting cycle to protect against corrosion.