Why is harbour bridge important

On the eve of celebrating its 84th birthday, we list five great reasons why this world-class feat of engineering is held dear in the hearts of many, as much today as it was on 19 March when it opened to the public. The pioneering approach led by Bradfield and his team to design and construct a Bridge with 6 lanes of traffic now 8 , a railway, two tramlines now none , a cycleway and a pedestrian walkway in a city that was only 1.

Comprised of over , individual pieces of steel, the Bridge weighs approximately 52, tonnes. From —, anywhere from 1, to 1, Sydneysiders worked on the construction of the Bridge. As in other nations, Australia suffered years of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement.

Building of the bridge happened roughly at the same time as construction of the underground railway system in Sydney so the bridge was conceived in a way that it can accommodate railway traffic too. Bridge was designed to have six lanes for road traffic, two for railroad and one for pedestrian. Yet the public were overwhelming enthusiastic about the completion of the Bridge, with over , people lining the streets and Harbour to watch the opening and subsequent pageantry.

After they had finished working on the Bridge, many of the former Bridge workers faced lean times as the Depression continued to bite. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. The bridge takes centre stage in Sydney's New Year's Eve celebrations, with images beamed across the world.

The opening of the bridge marked the end of almost a century of speculation about a harbour crossing. Robert Croll Indigenous Artefacts collection. National Museum of Australia. Australia's th anniversary celebrations poster, , illustrated by Tom Purvis and issued by Australian National Travel Association.

National Library of Australia nla. National Library of Australia, nla. Australia celebrates' poster designed by Charles Meere, to mark years of European settlement in Australia. Courtesy Margaret Stephenson-Meere. This three-panel mural, produced by Alban Watkins to commemorate Australia's bicentenary in , shows the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney skyline. Made of postage stamps, this mural is one of a series of three.

The family of the late Alban Watkins. Gold-plated medal presented to Vincent Kelly after he survived a fall from the Sydney Harbour Bridge in The medal measures 3 x 4. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was officially opened to climbers in , providing public access to the catwalks which extend over the arch. Photo: Andrew Barron. Construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge spanned almost a decade, from to