Clambering to success on Sydney Harbour Bridge

By BELINDA GOLDSMITH

SYDNEY - Day and night, a few lines of tiny figures can be spotted scrambling up the arches of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.

With views of the city's spectacular harbour and Sydney Opera House, the world's first commercial bridge climb is attracting more than 300,000 climbers a year and its success is prompting its founder to to start similar projects overseas.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge climb, which celebrated its fifth anniversary last month, has become one of Australia's top tourist attractions for people seeking adventure without danger.

BridgeClimb has become a corporate success story for local businessman Paul Cave, the founder of Australia's largest tile retailer, Amber Tiling.

He came up with the idea of opening the world's first commercial bridge climb in 1989 when he arranged for a group of businessmen to climb to the summit of the Sydney Harbour Bridge - a climb undertaken daily by maintenance teams.

The bridge, nicknamed "the coat-hanger", spans 503m and is a dizzying 134m above sea level at the top of the arch.

"It was such a nerve-racking but exhilarating experience that I can still vividly recall that day. I was absolutely confident that this was an experience many people would like to have," Cave said.

But little did Cave realise his idea to open the bridge to the public would land him deep in a labyrinth of bureaucracy: local authorities raised 64 objections.

"I naively thought we would get it up in two years but it took 10. Had I known it was going to take 10 years I never would have started," he said.

Finally, he managed to reassure the authorities that the world's largest steel arch bridge could be climbed safely.

He won a 20-year contract for exclusive tourist rights from the state government of New South Wales, to which BridgeClimb pays a percentage of its revenues.

In October 1998, Cave's first paying customers scrambled up a series of steel catwalks and ladders to the top of the 12-lane bridge, opened to traffic in 1932.

There has been no looking back. More than 300,000 climbers a year now pay up to A$225 ($260) each to trek up the bridge.

BridgeClimb celebrated its millionth climber in April and is reported to have posted a turnover of A$50 million last year. Cave owns 30 per cent of the BridgeClimb and has five partners. nteEvery 10 minutes, by day and much of the night, teams of 12 climbers wearing distinctive grey "bridge suits" and a harness attached to a guide cable, set off up the bridge. Usually, one person a day drops out with a case of "nerves".

The climb is a three-hour trip and climbs are conducted in all weather, except electrical storms.

There are strict rules: No children under 12, no pregnant women and an alcohol/breath test.

The summit has become a popular place to propose - but pity the Romeo who bought out a whole climb for A$2100, took his family and girlfriend's family along, but was rejected.

Darren, one of the army of 200 guides who operate the climb with military-like precision, said: "It was the quietest walk down I've had."