The Coat Hanger – Sydney Harbour Bridge

[By Chris Haldane in Sydney] As this is my first post as a correspondent, I thought I’d like to share something from my city that is loved by tourists and locals alike, so I’ve gone back through my sketchbooks to find the Sydney Harbour Bridge (affectionately called The Coat Hanger by locals) from various viewpoints.

Along with thousands of others, I walked over the Bridge on its 25th and 50th anniversaries (when traffic was banned and it was open only to pedestrians) and felt proud to do so. Why are we so attached to it? It’s probably because it’s very much part of our everyday lives as a vital transport route, connecting the north and south sides of the city across our beautiful harbour. But it’s also a focus of our big celebrations: I’m sure many of you have seen it blazing with fireworks on New Years Eve and during the Olympics. Viewed from buildings nearby, you get a real sense of its grace and beauty as the tallest steel arch bridge in the world. Opened in 1932, it cost a car just sixpence to cross. It now has 8 lanes, 2 train lines, a footway and a cycleway, but the toll has risen just a bit!

The area around the southern end of the Bridge is The Rocks, the site of Sydney’s convict beginnings. There are still lovely historic pubs, workers’ cottages, terrace houses and cobbled laneways – all within a stone’s throw of the Bridge. It’s a place where USKSYD often sketches when we have overseas visitors…. maybe you, one day!

But one of my favourite views of the Bridge is from the northern side, from Wendy’s Secret Garden, a peaceful oasis in the city, with meandering paths, lush plants and sculptures, all framed by the bridge and harbour. It was created over 20 years ago on disused railway land beside the harbour by the widow of Australian artist Brett Whitely, but locals are also proud of this garden and can often be seen working in it.

I remember one summer’s day in 2013 when bushfires were raging so badly that pollution levels were 15 times higher than usual, and the CBD was blanketed in a dirty brown haze, so much so that the other side of the harbour was nearly obscured by it. Not a pretty view of our harbour but certainly an unusual one!

Another day, an enormous storm blew in over Sydney Harbour at midday and
the usual blues of the sky and water were transformed in a matter of minutes
into blacks and greys…quite apocalyptic!

It’s interesting to read that the reason for the Bridge’s colour is that when it was time to paint it after construction, the quality of paint needed could only be found in the colour grey! Nevertheless, in any of her moods, we love our Bridge and think she’s beautiful, except when we’re caught in peak hour traffic!

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