Before you start, you need to know the tour takes over 3 hours, and you need to be reasonably fit; otherwise, you'll be panting and huffing every 5 minutes, wishing you stayed in the pub nearby, where you could watch your mates do it while you relax with a drink in your hand (like I did). The staff was great and friendly; they really did prepare you, and the views were amazing, especially at sunset. You all wore suits and were tied to one another, which did make you feel better and safer, I may add! Though I found it a bit of a struggle at first, the guide was so encouraging and supportive that I began to enjoy myself, and upon reaching the top, I felt a real sense of accomplishment. If you're not afraid of heights and walking up steep bridges, I'd definitely recommend it.

Think of Australia and one of the first images that springs to mind is that of the Sydney view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

When marvelling at the view of the bridge during the day, it is only then that you pick out the detail on the bridge. Which is also when you see what might be little vertical prongs sticking up except these prongs are in fact moving. These are actually people scaling the bridge to reach its summit 134 metres above sea level. It didn't take long for the urge to climb the bridge to get to me!

Finding myself at the counter of the BRIDGECLIMB office it wasn't long before my face was doing a good impression of a rabbit in headlights as within half an hour of arriving I was being suited an booted for 'the climb of my life' as promised by the logo for BRIDGECLIMB! For $AUS150 we would be given a 3 hour experience the start of which was to sign away any liability, always a reassuring part to any activity and then breathalysed to see if in fact we were drunk out of our minds!

Having passed all the insanity checks, we, a group of 12 ranging in ages from 10 to 60, were moved to the changing area where we were supplied with a grey jumpsuit. We were then issued a headset so the climb guide, Richard, could talk to us all the way up the metal frame.

The start of the climb was beneath the thunderous traffic and you had to manoeuvre yourself around bits of yellow foam padding and onto narrow wooden pathways. At this stage my attention was firmly focused on the placing of one foot in front of the other and so I hoped that the view wasn't the best at this point. Having completed the first bit of the assault course we then had the next phase, which was to one by one scale the narrow metal stairs which lead you through the lanes of traffic.

After a series of about four staircases I reached the start of the arch. Surprisingly this was neither nerve-racking or terrifying instead it was beautiful, the view on the right-hand side incorporated the angular curves of the Opera House at the entrance to the steady ferry flow in Circular Quay and I could see far over to the entrance of the Harbour.

I was now one of those grey vertical prongs reaching the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and while I didn't want to slow the progress of those behind me the view was captivating.

While I appreciated the view at the time the best part is when you are finally on safe ground and sitting in a cafe looking at the Bridge and you're able to say "I climbed that!!"

The view from the top of the pylon is spectacular. It is not quite as high as the bridge arch, but you are permitted to take as many pictures as you like! The only downside is that it is only accessible in daylight hours. The view of the city lights from here would be sensational.

It was interesting to see the complete lack of safety equipment for bridge workers given the heights that they were working. Photos and models depict workers doing their job with no safety harnesses, hard hats or other protective clothing. Amazingly, only 16 workers died during the bridge building and only two of these were in falls from the bridge. They were real men in those days!

This is the bargain in Sydney sight-seeing! Spectacular views mixed with a bit of historical information. One not to be missed, particularly by those who baulk at the $200+ that the Bridge Climb Company wants!

Awesome, although the ladders are risky. (The harness is not particularly well suited for slowing a downward drop on the ladders. The harness is attached to a cable running alongside the walkways and ladders.) Basically the harness is designed to prevent climbers from going over the edge, not dropping down the ladders!

Twilight is the best time to climb. You get the daylight views, see the sunset, and catch the city lights. All from the unique viewpoint of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Arch!

The climb itself is not too strenuous and there are plenty of stops for photographs along the way. Unfortunately these stops are for the climb guide to take photos and there were no opportunities for the paying guests to take their own photos. This was to prevent climbers dropping their cameras onto cars and people below, but also allowed them to sell digital images to climbers. (NOT CHEAP!!) They do provide a free pass to the pylon where there are plenty of opportunities to take photos of the view from the bridge. The views are just not quite as good!

On the Sydney Harbour are two of Sydney's most enduring icons: the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. The Opera House is probably the most recognizable architectural wonder of the 20th century. No other building in the world is like it. We looked at its exterior and were awed at the unique architecture. Meanwhile, the Harbour Bridge, with its entire steel structure hanging magnificently, has also become a symbol of Sydney, and is the centerpiece of the yearly New Year's Eve fireworks extravaganza. Walking from one end of the bridge to the other end is a one truly marvelous experience but we did not bother to do it (no time!). The Circular Quay provides the best view for either the Opera House or the Harbour Bridge. The west Circular Quay has the best side view of the Opera House and the east Circular Quay has the best view of the Harbour Bridge. We had pictures taken from both these views! The best point to view both is in Mrs. Macquaries Point, in the Botanic Gardens, which was packed during the New Year's Eve fireworks display.