When dreams become a reality – climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge

During my time as a travel agent I would book the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb for fellow travel enthusiasts every single day. I dreamt that one day it would be me climbing to the top. With every booking my desire grew stronger. Well, it may have taken me years to get there, but finally I arrived in Sydney for my turn.

As I looked up at the bridge from Circular Quay the reality of what I was about to do hit me. Up close the bridge is much higher than one can imagine. However, it wasn’t the height that concerned me, in fact I love heights. No, it was the amount of steps I would have to climb to reach the top that worried me. I was afraid my dodgy left knee would force me to quit half way. A large amount of steps, I have learnt from my travels, turns me into an eighty year old lady riddled with arthritis. But, despite the potential difficulty I would face, I was determined to fight the pain and fulfil my dream of making it to the top.

Our guide for the climb was a friendly and extremely knowledgeable Australian named Jasmine (and if you are reading this, Jasmine, thanks again for a great day!). I donned my suit, soaked up all the information from the briefing and was mentally prepared for the challenge ahead. My fellow climbers and I now looked like we were going to step foot inside a rocket to venture to Mars rather than climb a bridge. I attached myself to the steel wire and marched forwards, purposefully staying at the back of the line so I could savour the views.

The day had started with a grey sky and tiny droplets of rain, however as I climbed higher the sun managed to fight its way through the clouds and its rays greeted us, casting a feathery light across the harbour.

With each step, as I looked out to the orange dusted sails of the ever present Opera House and looked down at the boats ebbing their way through the water, the smile on my face just didn’t want to leave. My cheeks were getting higher with every step. There I was standing on one of the worlds most famous bridges, looking out at Australia’s most famous city, feeling like the most grateful human on the planet.

It turned out that the climb was a lot easier than anticipated, and I made it to the very top of the iconic arch with no troubles, only happiness.

It may have taken me years to get there, and a small fortune too, but there is no doubt in my mind that it was worth every penny, and worth every second I had to wait.