SYDNEY, Mar 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) – To mark the 90th year since the completion of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydneysiders headed into the harbour today to pay homage to the bridge that has connected and inspired generations of Australians.
A host of events littered Sydney’s harbour, as locals and tourists from across the city rang in the bridge’s ninth decade of regular use, including a spectacular lighting up of the bridge at night, a number of pop-up art galleries and museums displaying the bridge’s history, musical and dramatic performances, and a commemorative vintage train ride.
Kicking off today’s festivities, a red F1 Vintage Electric Train and a New South Wales (NSW) Waratah Train, the city’s most modern train, headed across the bridge in opposite directions — a symbolic meeting of “old and new.”
Train enthusiasts, Andrew Murphy and Sean Lowry, were among the lucky few who managed to snag two of the few tickets that sold out in record time.
“I’ve pretty much lived in Sydney my whole life,” Lowry said. “It’s my first time being on the F1. So, I’m really excited to see Sydney’s past and what kind of trains they had back then.”
As the train rolled into the platform just north of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, excited children and reminiscent seniors piled into the train for the historic ride.
Over the other side of the bridge performers and actors warmed up ahead of keen crowds. An actor dressed in newsboy attire from the 1930s, passed out papers and touted facts about the bridge. “Extra, extra read all about it, Sydney Harbour Bridge’s construction used over six million rivets,” he shouted to passers-by.
Plaques lined the harbour with facts and stories about the bridge’s construction and long history, and performers brought brightness despite the dreary grey skies.
More than just a tourist destination, the bridge was first opened for public use on Mar 19, 1932. To this day it joins Sydney’s northern and western suburbs and continues to play an integral role in the development of the nation’s largest city.
NSW Minister for Transport and Veterans, David Elliott, praised the bridge as a vital part of Sydney’s history on how its citizens move around the city.
“On this day 90 years ago, the Sydney Harbour Bridge came to life, and so too did the vision of a modern Sydney. More than one million people crossed the bridge on its opening day in trams, trains and on foot, which was almost the entire population of Sydney at that time,” said Elliot.
Despite what the scale of the feat might suggest, its construction and completion came at a time of extreme poverty in Australia’s Great Depression, when unemployment hit a staggering 32 percent in 1931.
Sophie Loy-Wilson, an expert in Australian history from the University of Sydney, said, the bridge became a symbol of hope.
“The bridge was expensive, but it represented hope and a better life for Sydney people. Sandstone excavations caused dust and debris but also uncovered fossils and other treasures,” said Loy-Wilson.
“The story of the harbour bridge is a story of a city on its knees, looking up towards the largest structure the city had ever seen, being pieced together across Sydney Harbour.”– NNN-AGENCIES
