To the Harbour Bridge and beyond

I did a nice little ride today - about 37km from here to North Sydney-Crows Nest and back again. That took me over two landmarks - the ANZAC Bridge, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I took some photos along the way of things that most people would never see.

It was a good day for a ride - the mercury didn't even make it to 20 degrees, but it was just warm enough to be comfy and not raise a sweat. It was odd at times - the air would be warm, but I'd feel cold, and at other times, the air would be cold and I'd feel hot. It wasn't one of those days where it is freezingly cold or blisteringly hot - it was a funny inbetween day.

Here we are, next to the approaches to the bridge on the city side. Just up ahead is the entrance to the bike path on the western side of the bridge. This spot is a devil to get to - it's badly marked, hard to find and I have spoken to many cyclists who have tried to find this spot and given up in frustration. My advice is always, "Stop, look for another cyclists who looks like they know where they are going and follow them".

Works for me.



This spot is just opposite the unused tollbooths at the city end of the Bridge. I can never understand why the RTA doesn't just rip these out. I imagine many motorists zoom past this spot every day, never realising that just to their left, there is the start of a great bike ride.



This is the view back the way I came. Just behind the two pedestrians is where you ride up onto this section of road. The hard part is getting to the point where you can ride up to where I am now. You have to buggerise around at a bad intersection, ride up a section of footpath and then up a steep ramp. Unless you have someone to follow, most people would never find it.



The other attraction here is the Sydney Observatory, which is on Observatory Hill funnily enough.



This is the bike path over the bridge. The RTA recently put up the security fence on the right, which narrowed the path slightly. I worried when they were putting it up that they would narrow the path so much, it would create a risk of head on collisions between cyclists.



On the right, there is a sliding gate in the fence that's there in case a train needs to be evacuated. There's also security cameras at regular intervals. The only way to get off the tracks and over the fence is via a ladder, and there are also ladders stored behind the fence at regular intervals. Someone has been thinking this through.



The view from the bridge is always marvelous. Off in the distance is the ANZAC bridge, which is where I was about half an hour before taking this photo. It's cool that you can see each bridge from the other.



Nice day to be on the harbour.



A jetboat happened to pass under the bridge as I was standing there. I used to live in an apartment up the back of this bay somewhere - not close enough to be on the water, but high enough to be able to see the bridge and part of the city. Not the greatest apartment, but a great view.



The RTA has put up a bit of signage at both ends of the cycle path to tell pedestrians to keep to their side of the bridge, but I used to see some strolling idiot in the old days about 1 crossing in 5.



Here's where the cycle path finishes at the northern end of the bridge. That's Milsons Point station in front. I've stood there on the platform and watched cyclists come down the path and then disappear down the steps. It looks kind of odd. Not that most people notice it - they're off in their own little world and take no notice of cyclists zipping around.



Here's the steps/ramp down the side of the bridge. It's not that well sign posted either, so the only way to find it really if you've never ridden through here before is to follow another cyclist.



Here's the view from the end of the cycle path. The park here was revamped a few years ago - this used to be a complete pit.


More signage to tell people to stay off the cycle path. It's amazing how few people read these things.



I reckon chances are no one has ever been fined $500 for doing this. Never.



A parking spot under the bridge. One of the better places to park when visiting Milsons Point.



This is something I'd never want to do. I've seen a few cyclists do it, but I reckon if I tried it, I'd zoom off the end and crash into something heavy, like a car.



Apart from parking, there's also some businesses that lurk beneath the bridge. I used to get my car serviced down here. Hundreds of thousands drive over the top of this spot each day, and I reckon 1% or less know what's underneath.