This morning, over two hundred thousand people will attend a birthday party. They will be celebrating the seventy-fifth birthday of the Sydney Harbour bridge - and for the occasion that bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic and it's eight car lanes will provide space for the walkers as they admire the view and celebrate the event.
The bridge was planned at a time when Australia had a very small population and the estimated cost - over twenty million dollars - was staggering. The specification was also beyond the reach of the imagination. It would comprise fifty-two thousand tonnes of steel and ninety-five thousand cubic metres of concrete - and a single coat of paint would involve two hundred and seventy thousand litres.
During the building years the world slipped into the great depression and perhaps the sight of the great bridge relentlessly moving towards completion provided hope for a better future. It was certainly big. It was one thousand and forty-nine metres long and forty nine metres wide - and it's highest point was one hundred and thirty four metres.
It's official opening, on March 15, 1932 provided drama when Irishman Captain De Groot rode forward and slashed the ribbon with his sword to pre-empt the state premier.
Since then this bridge has become an icon linking the city centre and the north shore - but more than that - it has become a world symbol. Few achieve the fame of world recognition - but when it comes to bridges this one joins London bridge in England and the Golden Gate bridge in the USA as structures with instant recognition in every corner of the world.
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