Free Essay

Sydney Harbour Bridge

In: Historical Events

Submitted By eshays
Words 1060
Pages 5
Why was the bridge built?
The Sydney Harbour Bridge (also known as ‘The Coat hanger’) was built to connect the City of Sydney (at Dawes Point) to The North Shore (at Milsons Point). It was built to resolve the continuing and growing transport problems of the Sydney Harbour. Everyday dozens of ferries carried people to and from the North and South Shore. There was only one other way to get to the other side of the shore other than taking a ferry and it was by road but it took 20 kilometers and a series of small bridges to get their, this way was usually used to transport food and other goods. The bridge would carry rail, vehicular and pedestrian traffic. For decades people were talking about building something to cross the harbour to put an end to the long commute. In 1922 the New South Wales Government seriously consider a way to connect the two shores together. 20 designs were submitted to the government of a bridge but the winning design was by Dorman, Long and Company.

How was the Bridge built?
Before the bridge started construction 800 houses were demolished before to make way for the bridge. In 1925 construction on the bridge started, both ends started at the same time and in five years time the ends would meet in the middle. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is made from steel, therefore the engineers had to come up with a way that would allow the bridge to expand and contract and rise and fall 18cm either way. The engineers ended up solving this problem by installing two big hinges on each end of the bridge to allow it to move without collapsing onto itself. To lift the large steel sections and put them into place, a huge ‘creeper’ crane was used to do this. These large steel sections were held into place with rivets; over 6 million rivets were used to construct the Sydney Harbour Bridge. By August 1930 the two halves of the bridge met in the middle, exactly as it was proposed when designing it. The next part of the Sydney Harbour Bridge that was built was the road deck; again the creeper cranes were used to lift the vertical pieces of steel that connect the arch and the road deck together and the platforms that made the road deck. It was built 59 meters above sea level and was built from the centre outwards. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was completed by the end of 1931 and it had a series of tests to make sure it was safe and would not collapse. The Bridge officially opened on the 19th March 1932.

What social impacts did the building of the Bridge have on Australia?
The Sydney Harbour Bridge has made many social impacts on Australia since it was finished in 1931 and opened in 1932. The Bridge improved safety across the Harbour, as before there were 75 ferries every hour crossing the Harbour, therefore the Bridge replaced all the traffic, which improved the safety of the people and the commuters. It has made commuting and transporting easier and more sufficient, as you can go by train or car across the harbour, without having to take a ferry or traveling 20 kilometers around to get to the other side of the shore. During the building of the Bridge, Australia was going through the Depression of the 1920s and 1930s and the building of it helped employ and supply people with jobs to work on the Bridge and it help them get through the Depression. Ever since the Sydney Harbour Bridge has opened it has been and icon for Australia and Sydney and has become a focal point in many celebrations in the harbour such as New Year’s Eve. The Bridge has also become a tourist attraction all around the world, when tourists see the Bridge they recognise it as a part of Sydney and Australia. In the last decade, The Sydney Harbour Bridge has become a major tourist attraction through Bridge Climb, which offers a unique experience through guided climbs at dawn, day, twilight and night climbs. The Bridge Climb has become an iconic thing to do while in Sydney for overseas tourists to get the full Sydney, Australia experience. When climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge you can see Sydney Harbour at the best view. The Sydney Harbour Bridge has made many social impacts on Australia, especially the tourist attraction side of it, which makes it an icon all around the world today.

What role did Jack Lang have in building of the Bridge?
Jack Lang was the Premier of New South Wales of the time when The Sydney Harbour Bridge was being built and when it was opened. Jack Lang wanted the opening of Sydney Harbour Bridge to be a major public celebration and not only for the rich and important people of society but for all working people as well. When the Bridge was opened on the 19th March 1932 there was a controversy and an outrage to who could cut the ribbon and declare the Bridge officially open. As the Premier of New South Wales, Jack Lang thought that he should cut the ribbon but the ‘New Guard,’ a paramilitary organization and an anti-Lang group thought a member of the Royal family should be invited to officially declare the Sydney Harbour Bridge open. Before Jack Lang could open the Bridge an ex-captain F.E de Groote whom was a member of the ‘New Guard,’ who was dressed in full military uniform, cut the ribbon before Jack Lang arrived, on horseback with his sword, declaring the bridge open “in the name of the decent and loyal citizens of New South Wales.” Lang then had to wait for the ribbon to be retied again so he could cut it with his gold scissors and officially declare the Sydney Harbour Bridge open in front of 750, 000 people. Later F.E de Groote was fined with a £5 for offensive behaviour in a public and was taken to a psychiatric hospital but was later declared sane. Jack Lang played an important role in the building and the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge but was dismissed as the New South Wales Premier only a few months after the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Sydney Harbour Bridge Investigation

...Sydney Harbour Bridge – Directed Investigation – Quadratic functions Introduction: Aim: To find the multiple unknowns in the Sydney Harbour bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge will be used to investigate a diverse number of points in the structure such as the height and length. Quadratics will be used to solve the height of the bridge at different points on the x axis. A quadratic is an equation constructed from information collected from a graph; this equation can also be used to produce a graph. Quadratics can be used to solve the problem dealt in this investigation as the Sydney Harbour Bridge is identified as a parabola shape. Only basic information is given about the bridge and the answers can be established by solving the additional questions. The quadratic equation will be tested from the graph to prove the accuracy of the quadratic identified. Quadratics are mainly seen in the form ax^2+bx+c=0, where x is a variable of any number. The bridge is mounted on two base pylons on the opposite ends. The highest point of the bridge is 182.5cm above sea level and the longest vertical cable is 135m from the origin. This position is the vertex, which is the highest or lowest point inside a quadratic, and in this case it is highest in this scenario. The axis of symmetry is an imaginary vertical line that cuts through and splits both sides evenly on the graph. The main supporting arc has 2 points that sits on the road situated 50m above sea level. Mathematical Investigations: The...

Words: 1504 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Bridge

...Bridge Bridges was made for crossing over a large body of water or land. The design of the bridge and its function are made based on the need of the situation. Early bridges are made from natural materials like “wooden logs, stone, and dirt.” Some said that the first bridge was made from nature, when a the log fell across a stream. Bridges made from natural resources tend to disintegrated over time. The Ancient Rome, then tried to improve the bridge by using volcanic rocks to make mortar. The new resource help the bridge to withstand against mother nature and helped the Romans to make more fancy bridges. The bridges they built are more powerful, sturdy, and larger than any bridges before. The idea then spread across Europe to Asia and Africa. The design of the bridge across the world has varied from place to place. Due to circumstances and situation that the place needed. Like the moveable bridge that is designed to move to allow passage for boat or barges. Some bridge are built for fun like the bridge to nowhere in Avignon, France. The Pont d'Avignon is a medieval bridge that was destroyed by a flood later built again in the 17th century to nowhere. Other bridge-like arch bridge Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia, which got it weight support at both ends, the side arch is supported by tension rods, chains or cables. Hope It Works Inc. will make an arch like bridge, using mainly wood glue and toothpicks. Sandpaper, wax paper, regular paper, rubber band, ruler,...

Words: 351 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

As of Eco

...automatically given for multi-part questions in proportion to the number ofcorrect responses. Background needed to complete the assignment: Review the material in Chapters 3 of the textbook. How to submit: Submit the assignment by placing it into the assignment box labelled “Economics for Management” located in the foyer of Level 3, Block D, Building 5 (it is one floor above the Economics Discipline Group Reception). Time of Day Tolling on Sydney Harbour Tunnel On 27 January 2009, the New South Wales government introduced a new time of day tollingsystem for southbound traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge (SHB) and Sydney HarbourTunnel (SHT). Previously, passenger vehicles paid a flat $3 toll to travel south on both these harbour crossings. The new system introduced the following tolls on weekdays for these two harbour crossings: From 6:30am to 9:30am: $4.00 From 9:30am to 4:00pm: $3.00 From 4:00pm to 7:00pm: $4.00 From 7:00pm to 6:30am: $2.50 Table 1 below shows average weekday southbound traffic volumes on the Sydney Harbour Tunnelfor the 12 months before and after...

Words: 738 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Sidney

...Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. It is on Australia's south-east coast, on the Tasman Sea. In June 2010 the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people. Besides, Sydney is ranked 11th in the world out of the 221 cities reviewed in the 2011 Worldwide Quality of Living Index compiled by Mercer Human. Inhabitants of Sydney are called Sydneysiders, comprising a cosmopolitan and international population. Sydney is one of the most vibrant and exciting cities on earth. Its sparkling harbour, dazzling beaches and sunny, Mediterranean climate are matched by an array of world-class museums and art galleries, a 24-hour nightlife, relaxed lifestyle and rich architectural heritage. Transportation Sydney is one of the most well connected cities in the world. Transportation choices range from taxi, bus, car, train, mono rail, to ferry (on rivers and sea). With the awesome weather you might also want to walk everywhere. Trains run from the cities heart all the way up to the outer most suburb市区. Train services are very frequent and slow down late during the night and during weekends. But not to fret if train services are cancelled you are always assured of a replacement service on the bus. You can also take a cab or bus from anywhere with in the city. Monorail covers very limited region within the Sydney city. A tram service also runs with a few regions of the Sydney city. The Sydney ferry system...

Words: 2437 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

How Prices Change Impact Demand

...to two Harbour crossings for the southbound traffics, we have seen there is only a bit change in traffic use volume in Harbor bridge and Harbor tunnel. As the calculation indicated, the demands of using Harbour bridge and Harbour Tunnel are generally pricing inelastic except the use of Harbour Tunnel between 5:30am to 6:30am, of which the demand is pricing elastic. The fact that increasing and decreasing prices from $3 dollars flat fee before to multi pricing system determined by the pick and off-pick traffic hours seems not change the traffic volume with Harbour bridge at all time zone, and with Harbour Tunnel at most of the time expect 5:30am to 6:30am. The elasticity of demands are explained by four reasons availability of substitutes, time horizon, necessities or luxuries and purchase capacity in theory. Practically, as price goes more expensive, traveller might find substitutes such as training, busses, fairies and detour (i.e. Parramatta road, ANZ bridge) replacing the costly Harbour crossings. In this case the substitutes are not effectively replacing the Harbour crossings for the private car. Travellers are reluctant to change the means of travels (i.e. Ferry, train, busses) due to their own lifestyle, they remain driving across Harbour by paying extra cost. Detouring via Parramatta road or ANZ bridge are not attractive enough due to the over capacity of road usage and extra miles to drive, private car traveller would consider paying extra for the Harbour crossing...

Words: 1386 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

How Did Chris Hemsworth Influence Australian Society

...In 1770 Captain James Cook landed at botany bay and climed the east coast of Australia. On the 26th of January 1788 captain/governor Arthur Phillip chose Sydney cove as a place of settlement. Australia was claimed for England under the low of 'terra nullius, a Latin term meaning 'nobody' land or land is belonging to no-one. After the discovery of Australia by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed in 1770. New South Wales from 26 January 1788 initially settled through penal transportation to the colony. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades, and by the 1850s most of the continent had been explored. 50,000 years before the first British settlement, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who spoke languages...

Words: 613 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Kirribilli Research Paper

...Because Kirribilli sits along the centre of Sydney’s sparkling harbour, it is an in-demand suburb. Kirribilli is believed to be one of the oldest suburbs in Sydney. Due to the location of Kirribilli, it’s prime property for buying and investing. However, if you would rather be a tenant renting your dwelling, Kirribilli is still one awesome Sydney suburb. What makes it so awesome? Lifestyle & Housing While Kirribilli is considered to be a haven for young professionals due to the short commute into the city’s CBD, but this suburb is mix of young city workers, singles, families, and retirees. The art deco, modern, and mid-century apartment complexes that sit pretty along the winding streets of Kirribilli. Flats, mansions, and townhouses also sit side-by-side as if vying for a position for who offers the best view....

Words: 444 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Destination Australia

...DESTINATION REPORT AUSTRALIA DEBBIE HOOK WORLD GEOGRAPHY AUSTRALIA “There is nothing like Australia” G’ Day mates, and welcome to Australia. As the tourist board of Australia would say, “There is nothing like Australia” (Australia) but The Australian bush poet, Dorothea Mackellar , said it best in her poem "My Country" with an affirmation that speaks for all Australians. "I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains. I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea, Her beauty and her terror - The wide brown land for me!" Dorothea Mackellar [ (Baskerville, 2009) ] You could easily spend three to four weeks discovering all of Australia. However if time were limited, then a short weeklong “walkabout” to the area of your choice would do. Australia is divided into six states each with a different landscape and cultural difference: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. AUSTRALIA Prepare for your Australian trip, by learning about the currency; how to place a phone call; and what to do if a medical or safety emergency happens. Approximately, 85 percent of the people of Australia live in the southeastern quarter of the country, especially in large cities along the coast. The vast interior of Australia is too dry to support a large population, and few people live there. The eastern Highlands, sometimes called...

Words: 1415 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Stuff

...Urban Growth and Decline CHANGE OVER TIME The spatial nature of Sydney has changed over time. In the 1830s, Sydney was a `walking' city with densely populated urban areas such as Redfern, Woolloomooloo and Paddington close to the central business district (CBD). After 1880, Sydney evolved into a transit city due to the building of railways, which encouraged the growth of suburbs such as Parramatta. In 1932, the Harbour Bridge was opened, providing a transport link and faster access to North Shore suburbs such as Pymble. The evolution to an automobile city began after World War II and saw the growth of suburbs north (Cherrybrook), south (Menai) and west (St Marys). Faster road and rail links and the availability of cheaper housing eventually led to the development of dormitory towns for commuters in the Wollongong, Central Coast and Blue Mountains areas. URBAN SPRAWL In the 1970s and 1980s, Australian cities tended to continually grow outwards in a process known as urban sprawl. Increasing car ownership and the development of freeways gave people greater choice in where they could live and work. The development of new housing on the rural±urban fringe also encouraged the development of shops, schools, medical centres, industries and recreational facilities to support the growing population. The impact of urbanisation in these outer areas has been a loss of natural environments and changes to rural land use on the edge...

Words: 788 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Australia

...Pacific oceans, the country is approximately 4,000 km from east to west and 3,200 km from north to south, with a coastline 36,735 km long. Canberra is Australia's capital city. With a population of approximately 320,000 people and situated in the Australian Capital Territory, Canberra is roughly half way between the two largest cities Melbourne and Sydney. Australia has 19 listed World Heritage properties. Australia is also famous for its landmark buildings including the Sydney Harbour Bridge; its ancient geology, as well as for its high country. The majority of Australia experiences temperate weather for most of the year. The northern states of Australia are typically warm all the time, with the southern states experiencing cool winters but rarely sub-zero temperatures. Snow falls on the higher mountains during the winter months, enabling skiing in southern New South Wales and Victorian ski resorts, as well as the smaller resorts in Australia's island state, Tasmania. As of October 2012, Australia's population is roughly 22.7 million people. The most populous states are New South Wales and Victoria, with their respective capitals, Sydney and Melbourne, the largest cities in Australia. Australia's population is concentrated along the coastal region of Australia from Adelaide to Cairns, with a small concentration around Perth, Western Australia. The centre of Australia is sparsely populated. Learn about our history, culture, great food and wine, art and spectacular natural landscapes...

Words: 298 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Romulus My Father

...Belonging is one of the fundamental human needs for companionship and security. For those who have a place where they belong such as with a family, with friends, with the community; they feel safe and content. For those who don’t belong and cannot “fit” into their surroundings they are faced with problems of alienation and loneliness. These different aspects of belong are reflected in a variety of texts; “Romulus My Father” by Raimond Gaita explores a sense of familial belonging and how it shapes who we are, “The Comic” by Leunig explores the troubles of being accepted and “fitting” in. Finally, the feature article, “Compulsive Gamers ‘not addicts’” by Pady Maguire explores the need for gamers to belong to a community. In “Romulus My Father” the most profound sense of belonging exists with the narrator himself. The narrator delivers his observations in a reflective and thoughtful tone. The high modality of verb choice suggests a pleasant nostalgia about events in the book. Particularly his recollections of his father, notions such as, “I loved him too deeply… no quarrel could estrange us” displays the sense of belonging \ he feels with his father. This is evident even after Christina dies. He observed, “We came together as son and husband with the woman whose remains lay beneath us”. Raimond’s aspect of belonging is that of family and culture. Juxtaposed against Raimond’s belonging is the suffering of Christina in her displacement. For the mother her inability to belong is described...

Words: 1009 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Rimm

...BlackBerry devices in the corporate environment and the compulsive use of its ability to quickly send and receive e-mail has earned it the nickname "Crackberry" in a reference to crack cocaine as users feel they cannot live without it. In 2006 Research In Motion and Information Appliance Associates reached a licensing agreement whereby RIM would offer the complete version of PocketMac for BlackBerry to Macintosh users free of charge.[5] In October 2008, RIM was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc., and was featured in Maclean's newsmagazine.[6] RIM announced in February 2009 that they were expanding their global operations by opening an office and training facility in North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Just across the Harbour Bridge, ten...

Words: 1027 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Research in Motion

...Research In Motion Limited (RIM) is a Canadian telecommunication and wireless device company best known for developing the Blackberry Smartphone. RIM has his headquarters in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and is a sponsor of RIM Park in the northeast of the city. Founded by Mike Lazaridis, who currently serves as its co-CEO along with Jim Balsillie were keenly interested in this project. History Preceding the time of manufacture of the Smartphone, RIM worked with RAM Mobile Data and Ericsson to turn the development of Ericsson’s Mobitex wireless data network into a two-way paging and wireless e-mail network. The most important in this development was the release of the Interactive pager 950, which started shipping in August 2000. The size of this is about like the bar soap. This device competed against the SkyTel two-way paging network developed by Motorola. Canadian institutional and venture capital investors in 1995 sponsored RIM’s initial development through a private placement in the privately-held company. Working Ventures Canadian Fund Inc. led the first venture round with a $5,000,000 (CAD) investment with the proceeds being used to complete the development of RIM's two-way paging system hardware and software. A total of $30,000,000 (CAD) in pre-IPO financing was raised by the company prior to its initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange in January, 1998 under the symbol RIM. RIM has released a variety of devices running on GSM, CDMA, and Motorola iDEN...

Words: 1399 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Renewable Energy

...Could Australia become the world's next energy superpower? This is not an academic question. It's about how this country can drive not only its own but also Asian economic development for centuries to come. When it comes to energy, of all the nations in our region Australia is the one with the richest array of choices. The world's most concentrated sunlight, huge reserves of coal, gas, hot rocks, wind, wave and tidal energy, not to mention uranium, thorium, biomass, hydro and other interesting possibilities. In short, thousands of years' worth of energy in sundry forms. In the past we have found difficulty making decisions among this bounty of opportunities: politicians who favour one energy form usually get beaten up by all the other lobbies, creating a perfect climate for indecision. This has been going on for decades and will probably continue to paralyse national policymaking, leaving us in the dark ages - unless we find a way to make the choice between energies an easy one. What Australia most needs, at this juncture in its history, is a level playing field, where all the energies can compete, each according to its strengths, for its share of the world's hungriest energy market - as Asia continues to grow while exhausting its local coal, oil and gas. That level playing field could be created by the Australian Energy Superhighway. The superhighway concept is a gigawatt DC transmission line starting in the bottom right-hand corner of Australia, extending across...

Words: 918 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Articles

...[pic]Top of Form Aboriginal Australia [pic] Find out how you can connect with the world’s oldest living culture. Discover it the same way Aboriginal Australians have passed it down for at least 50,000 years - through art, dance, myths, music and the land itself. See Aboriginal art and contemporary dance in the cities. Or head to the outback and listen to Dreamtime myths of creation by the campfire. Let Aboriginal Australians help you understand this ancient land and its spirituality and wonder. Six special places you can connect to Aboriginal Australia [pic] Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Northern Territory Visit Uluru and you’ll see why the rock and surrounding land have such huge spiritual significance for the Anangu Aboriginal people. According to their creation myths, ancestral spirits formed Uluru, which lies in Australia's red centre like an enormous, moody heart. Aboriginal guides will share these ancient tales as you walk around the rock’s base. Just 32 kilometres away is another sacred site - Kata Tjuta. You’ll be awestruck by these steep, rounded, russet domes over 3,500 hectares. [pic] Kimberley, Western Australia Featuring vast horizons and ancient gorges, the Kimberley region is one of the world’s last great wilderness areas. See Wandjina figures painted in caves and the mysterious Gwion Gwion paintings. Ride a camel on Broome’s breathtaking Cable Beach and 4WD the red-dirt road along the Dampier Peninsula. Learn the legend of the orange and black beehive...

Words: 13875 - Pages: 56