The Sydney Harbour Bridge
Today the Sydney Harbour Bridge spans the beautiful and now famous harbour of Sydney, Australia. Tourists flock to explore the harbourside city at the bottom of the world. The Sydney Opera House, well known for its white concrete sails, sits close and just below the grey steel bridge that unites the city, north and south.
But of course, these structures are modern in the overall scheme of things. Australia is a new country compared to Europe and Britain. Its geographic isolation kept it secret and separate until just a few centuries ago. Then Britain colonised its shores in the late 1700s and used the Great Southern Land as a penal colony for surplus convicts.
The dream of a bridge
As early as 1815, architect Francis Greenway proposed a bridge to unite the north and south sides of the vast Sydney harbour. Development of the new city only focused on the south side of the city. Greenway was a convict himself until paroled by the then Governor Macquarie. Francis Greenway was born in Gloucestershire, England. He had a promising career as an architect in the Bristol area until the firm went bankrupt. In March 1812, Greenway was found guilty of the capital charge of forgery. His sentence was commuted to transportation for 14 years to the colony of New South Wales.
Britain’s loss was Australia’s gain. Francis Greenway went on to be the civil architect for Sydney and design many of Sydney’s colonial landmarks that still stand. Governor Lachlan Macquarie employed Greenway’s skills wisely and well.
Governor Macquarie was from Scotland and was an uncle of my Scottish grandmother, Mary Macquarie. Unfortunately, Macquarie did not consider the bridge to be a priority and so it never happened till much later after these two men passed.
A bridge unrealised for many years
Throughout the next century, the 19th, other bridge enthusiasts came and went. However, by the 20th century, the lack of a way across the harbour became more of a priority. People on the north side of the harbour could only access the city and beyond by ferry or punt. This left the beautiful northern side of the harbour quite underdeveloped. The wheels of progress can be slow at times and unfortunately, by the time a draft design for a bridge eventuated, World War I erupted.
Only after the terrible war ended and peace returned did the idea resurface. In 1922, a steel arch bridge was proposed to cross from Dawes Point in the south to Milson’s Point on the northern side, now called the North Shore. The chief engineer was Dr John Bradfield, already the engineer for the Department of Public Works. Bradfield dreamed of making Sydney the greatest city in the Pacific. Indeed, he had grand ambitions even thinking of another bridge from the North Head to South Head further towards the coastline.
Bradfield did not design the bridge only propose it. It was Ralph Freeman who designed the simple single arch with decorative not functional pylons. Bradfield did not like this design, and the men fought badly both claiming to be the sole designer. When it came to the official plaque, the fight for recognition was really on. The highway across the bridge became the Bradfield Highway and instead, King George VI knighted Freeman for his services.
Work begins on the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Work on the Sydney Harbour bridge started in 1923. This necessitated the demolition of hundreds of houses, shops, hotels and businesses. The authorities did not offer these displaced people anywhere to go or recompence for their property lost. The people moved south, and tent cities sprouted up on the south side of the city near La Perouse. Others moved in with their families. To fund the bridge the government borrowed money from overseas. This caused huge problems when the Great Depression came in 1930. The 1929 Stock crash on Wall Street meant banks started to call in debts. The Australian economy struggled with its funding. Unemployment and homelessness rose steeply.
However, the bridge construction gave work to many, including my grandfather. The bridge united the city in hope at a dark time during the early 1930s. Nicknamed the Iron Lung of the city, the construction employed 1654 workers and kept Sydney alive through the Great Depression. When one shift of riveters or painters finished another surge of workers clocked on. This shared the work between as many men as possible to keep families financially afloat. 4000 men worked on the construction over ten years.
Bridge work was dangerous
Work on the huge steel bridge construction was very dangerous. There were no safety nets or other precautions against falls. Nor did the workers wear safety clothing or helmets as they do today. Sixteen men died by falling either from the arch or pylons or dying at the surrounding work sites. Read about them here.
Most Sydneysiders were unaware of these tragedies.

“Those who gave their lives for the bridge were barely acknowledged,” explains Caroline Mackaness, co-author of Bridging Sydney and curator of the exhibition of the same name at the Museum of Sydney.
The dramatic bridge opening
Finally, in March 1932, the bridge was complete. The opening ceremony however was plagued by political issues and made world news. For some months, there was civil unrest due to political issues concerning welfare payments and funding for government services. One disgruntled group called the New Guard was opposed to the premier Jack Lang. He was in favour of not repaying the overseas loan but instead helping Sydney and its people. The New Guard feared a revolution and even communism so lobbied to the Governor to have Lang dismissed.
The activist New Guard was also furious that Lang was opening the bridge instead of the king or the governor. As a result of this, Captain Francis de Groot of the New Guard gate crashed the ceremony on horseback and, using a sword, slashed the ceremonial ribbon himself before Premier Lang could do so.
The dead workers honoured
The premier, Jack Lang, made no mention of the deaths. However, the Minister for Public Works laid a modest plaque honouring the men. It is above the steps on the southern approaches to the bridge but today, it is easily missed by passing pedestrians.
In 2007, the workers who died for their bridge received recognition on the 75th anniversary of the opening. Also, a new plaque was laid in their honour. More can be learnt at the Museum of Sydney located at the corner of Phillip and Bridge streets.
Crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge
During the opening, an estimated half of the population of Sydney walked across the bridge. This was about 600, 000 people.
In 1982, on the 50th anniversary, about the same number crossed by foot again. By then, you could also cross by car or train. many celebrated this anniversary on ferries or other watercraft or on the nearby foreshores. Sydneysiders love their bridge! Today there are bridge tours and bridge climbs available to the public if you are not height wary.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge remained the symbol of Sydney for many years until the Opera House, built nearby, stole its limelight. It is amazing to reflect that these two structures like many other amazing buildings around the world were built on the sweat of physical workers. No computers, calculators or mobile phones can claim any credit.
Every New Year’s Eve, millions of people gather on the harbour or its foreshores to watch the fireworks herald in the new Year. Australia is always one of the first places in the world to see the new year or century. Our time zone like New Zealand’s is about ten hours ahead of the Uk and Europe.
Read what it was like in the days of the bridge construction in Vashti Farrer’s small book, Sydney Harbour Bridge. Vashti uses the unique voices of two children to tell her Australian story. I read this book and a few others before writing my own historical novel, Last Time Forever which tells the story of two sisters who, at the time and up to 1950, lived in Sydney. Based on the true-life story of my grandparents.