sydney harbour bridge – World Book INK worldbookblog Leave a comment Today, Australia celebrates the 80th “birthday” of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. The single-span, steel arch bridge first opened on March 19, 1932. Known to locals as the “Coathanger,” the bridge crosses Sydney Harbour. It connects Dawes Point in the south to Milsons Point in the north. The top of the main arch stands 440 feet (134 meters) above water level. Today, the bridge has eight lanes for vehicle traffic, a walkway, a bicycle route, and two railway tracks. Proposals to build a bridge across Sydney Harbour date to the early 1800’s. However, the size of the harbor called for a large, complex structure that was deemed impractical at the time due to the high cost of materials and labor, as well as the technical expertise required. At the time, people used ferries to transport vehicles, goods, and themselves from one side of the harbor to the other. By the early 1900’s, developments in engineering, as well as the growth of local industries manufacturing steel and concrete, had made the project more practical.

The government of New South Wales held several competitions to find a design for the bridge. However, the project stalled. The New South Wales government appointed an Advisory Board to review proposed designs for the bridge. Engineer John Job Crew Bradford, who was appointed to the board, worked for many years revising the bridge design. In 1922, the government of New South Wales passed a law authorizing the construction of the bridge. The government then sought proposals for the construction. A British firm was awarded the contract, and consulting engineer Ralph Freeman made the final design drawings. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on July 28, 1923. Construction soon began on the bridge approaches. Construction on the arches began in October 1928, and they were connected in the center in August 1930. Construction continued until January 1932. In February, engineers ran numerous safety tests. At one point, 96 locomotives were placed on the bridge’s train tracks to ensure that the bridge was strong enough. New South Wales Premier Jack Lang was set to open the bridge at a large public ceremony on March 19, 1932.

The ceremony was disrupted when a protester who opposed Lang’s policies rode onto the bridge on a horse and slashed the ceremonial ribbon with a sword. After police detained the protester, the ribbon was reattached, and Lang officially cut the ribbon and declared the bridge open. There’s more waiting for you at World Book Online. Share this and other facts about Australia on atlas of the world with your friends and family, click here to read more about this topic from our interactive encyclopedia online . Builder/Maker: Construction Years: 1788 - 0 Physical Description: Dawes Point is a prominent landmark in Sydney Harbour, terminating the western arm of Sydney Cove. It includes Pier One and part of Walsh Bay, Dawes Point Park, the northern end of Lower Fort Street, Hickson Road and the Hickson Road Reserve, to the south it is bounded by the southern end of George Street. It has a rich documented history beginning with the one of the earliest recorded cultural exchanges between the Eora Aboriginal people and the First Fleet. Subsequently it remained in government ownership both as a place of strategic administration, defence and transport and as a place contributing to the magnificent landscape of our harbour city.

The Point forms part of Sydney's historic Rocks precinct.Dawes Point consists of a large grassed area of relatively undeveloped land north of The Rocks below the Harbour Bridge. It contains the sandstone archaeological remains of the Battery, two powder magazines and the footings of the Officers quarters. The natural vegetation was removed by 1792, the current fig and palm trees date from the 1940's. Established as Crown land from a very early date, the site was a military compound between 1791-1900. Public access was allowed from 1878. The whole area was vested as a public domain following the opening of the bridge in 1932.The physical fabric of the precinct includes the southern Sydney Harbour Bridge Piers and Southern Abutment Tower. The Dawes Point Park and Hickson Road Reserve including the landscaping and plantings. The interpretive display of the Battery, associated building remains, cannon and cannon barrels. It includes part of Hickson Road, Lower Fort Street and bridge from Pier One over Hickson Road to Lower Fort St.

Also included is the car park on Hickson Road across from Pier One and the seawall, retaining walls, steps and wharves.See also Dawes Point Battery (item no. 4500494) and Cannon (item no. 4500491) Property Description George Street / Lower Fort St, Hickson Rd & Harbour Promenade, The Rocks 2000 LGA(s): Sydney Historic Notes and Themes Historical notes: Dawes Point is a prominent landmark in Sydney Harbour, terminating the western arm of Sydney Cove. It has a rich documented history beginning with the one of the earliest recorded cultural exchanges between the Eora Aboriginals and the First Fleet. Subsequently it remained in government ownership both as a place of strategic administration, defence and transport and as a place contributing to the magnificent landscape of our harbour city. The Point forms part of Sydney's historic Rocks precinct .The Aboriginal people who lived along the coastal area of Sydney were called the Eora. Their word for the peninsula was 'Tarra', and it was part of the territory of the Cadigal group of Eora people. Long before British settlement, groups of Eora inhabited this area, this is substantiated by archaeological evidence.

Just to the south of the site in Cumberland Street a campfire radiocarbon dated to about 1500AD was uncovered. In it were the remains of a meal consisting of schnapper and rock oysters. Dawes Point is the place of one of the earliest attempts at conciliation being made with the indigenous occupants of Sydney. One young Cameragal woman named Patyegarang became friends with Lt William Dawes whose hut and observatory were situated at the point from 1788-1791. They learned to communicate, and Dawes recorded the Eora words and their English translations in his notebooks. This friendship is one of the earliest recorded cultural exchanges between the British and the Eora people.After the First Fleet arrived at Sydney cove in January 1788. Equipped with meteorological and astronomical books and instruments, Lt Williams Dawes had established an observatory by August on the point, which he named Point Maskelyne after the Astronomer Royal, Neville Maskelyne. However the point was subsequently referred to as Dawes Point. Lt Dawes had served in the American War of Independence and subsequently pursued studies in engineering and surveying.

From this point Dawes was to observe and record a comet which it appears was never sighted, he also recorded meteorological observations and official time keeping for the colony. Dawes journals provided a detailed chronology of the early weather of the colony and is considered to be of great historical significance by the international scientific community. His work as an observer of the stars and calculations of time and his engagement with the Indigenous population as well as his peers represents a conciliatory and contemplative phase of the site's history. Evidence of the timber observatory survives only in rough sketch form, it is however, located on several maps and illustrations of Dawes Point indicating its location. It is speculated that it was built up against a rock outcrop to ensure the stability of the astronomical instruments. The building was demolished in 1791 to make way for the early battery. It was another thirty years before the colony constructed another observatory.Dawes Point juts out into the Harbour providing spectacular vistas both up and down the Harbour, this was immediately recognized as a position with strategic importance in terms of defence. The site was used for fortifications against the threat of European powers, and resulted in a sequence of armaments, powder magazines, guardhouses and officers' quarters.

The military uses of the point were first instigated by Governor Phillip to establish the colony's first defences. A powder magazine was sited at Dawes Point in 1789, followed the next year by a signal station to communicate messages from The Gap at Watson's Bay to Sydney, and relay them up the river to Parramatta, where the Governor's second residence stood. The colony's first trafficable road was constructed by convict labour from Dawes Point to the first Government House near Bridge Street, to enable swift communication to the Governor of information from the signal station. After word arrived in Sydney about a dispute between England and Spain over the British presence in the Pacific, Dawes Point was chosen as the site for a permanent fortification to protect the settlement in case of an attack from other European Colonial powers in the region. In 1791 Dawes Point Battery was completed with guns taken from the Sirius.

The colony's flagstaff was also relocated to the point so that it became the symbol of British presence in Australia.With the continual threat of attack particularly from the French in 1798, Captain Edward Abbot (1766-1832) was given the responsibility for the batteries of Dawes Point and Georges Head. He ordered improvements and by 1801 Governor King was able to state that Dawes Points Battery 'has been reconstructed and is now capable of annoying any vessels with effect'. Minor improvements continued to be made until 1819 when Governor Macquarie ordered the convict architect Francis Greenway to redesign it.In 1818 Greenway had built Fort Macquarie at Bennelong Point, this was a square-planned "castle" with circular bastions at each corner and a castellated square tower. Greenway continued the castellated Gothic theme in his upgrading of the Dawes Point Battery in 1819. The original plans have not survived, however from archaeological evidence, contemporary descriptions and illustrations an idea of the structure can be formed.

The new guardhouse building took the form of a central "tower" with two projecting walls, each terminating in a small room, the whole castellated and producing the illusion, when viewed from the harbour, of a grand castle in a stage set. Greenway's design had diverted from the plans and produced a decorative Guardhouse high above the Battery, it was criticized for being an easy target rather than a strategically placed building for defence. The archaeological excavations revealed that the 1789 magazine was incorporated into the guardhouse. The former magazine became the basement to the guardhouse which was constructed on an artificial mound. This is evidenced by the finding of a foundation stone dated 1789 in the lower room of Greenway's Guardhouse during its demolition for the Bridge. The initials "RR" inscribed in the stone are probably those of Major Robert Ross, the stone is held by the Mitchell Library and on display in The Rocks Discovery Museum.Britain's involvement with the Crimean War (1854-56) aroused fears of a Russian Naval attack on the colony. Detachments of the Royal Artillery were sent to Sydney in 1856 to be stationed at the battery.

This necessitated new buildings, the Officer's Quarters were built to the north of the Greenway building. On the other side of Lower Fort St a barracks were installed for the men. Five 42lb cannons were installed at the battery at this time and can still be seen in the reserve, although only one is in the original position and on a carriage. A lower battery was constructed about this time, which has not been subject to archaeological excavation. Photographs and maps from the late 1800s record the position and construction for these ramparts. Two subterranean powder magazines were uncovered during the 1995 archaeological investigations, no historical plans or records for the construction of these magazines have been located but they are believed to have been built between 1857-1860. As part of ongoing military activity, other buildings were erected on the site near the Sentry Box at the foreshore of Dawes Point.

One of these building which appears c1880s was known as the Drill Hall, it was a timber framed building and was relocated to Moore Park in 1911, prior to the construction of Hickson Road.In 1870 the battery was staffed by the Colonial Militia with at least one high ranking officer living with his family at the Dawes Point Officers Quarters and commuting to Victoria Barracks. Later, until 1902 the Battery was staffed by detachments from British regiments stationed in Australia. After Federation with the formation of the regular Australian Army, Dawes Point lost most of its military, with occupation ceasing in 1902.The presence of the Battery made adjacent areas of The Rocks and Millers Point a "Garrison Town" with the Military Hospital and the Garrison Church being formal evidence of this function. The whole western ridge of Sydney Cove up to the Wynyard Barracks had a military and naval flavour in contrast to the administrative role of the eastern spine of Macquarie Street.The construction of an Explosives Wharf and Sentry Box occurred between 1880-1882.

The Sentry Box is located next to the Ives Steps and Wharf (initially used as the departure point for Billy Blue's passage across the Harbour) it is a cylindrical stone building to observe the foreshore area for defensive purposes. It was an important point for guarding the entry of the Battery. It is possible that the Sentry Box may have been designed by James Barnet, Colonial Architect, due to the careful detailing and execution of all elements in the structure. It became associated with early communications across the Harbour and was later used as an access point for telephone cables laid across the Harbour to the north shore. Another similar building existed at one time at Milson's Point. The Sentry Box site was the subject of political wrangles over ownership of Dawes Point between Federal and State Governments in 1904. Ownership was settled in favour of the NSW Government, along with the rest of the Reserve. The Sentry Box has been a landmark on the Harbour promenade having originally been designed and used for both defence purposes and as an access point for telephone cables. Later it came to be associated with the Sydney Harbour Bridge precinct being of significance to Sydney-siders and tourists as an icon and a regularly used photo vantage point.

In 2000 the Sentry Box was dismantled and moved off site as part of the initiative to upgrade the promenade. The Sentry Box was reinstated in 2008 and an intrepretive installation explains its history and significance.The Sentry Box was situated several metres from the wharf known as the 'Explosives Jetty' to oversee the off loading of explosives from the Goat Island Powder Magazines. The explosives were used for the guns at Dawes Point with gunpowder being stored in the Battery's magazine. Two subterranean powder magazines were uncovered during the archaeological excavations in 1995, no historical plans or other records for the construction of the magazines has been located.

The construction of Hickson Road in 1911-12 and the Harbour Bridge between 1925-32 severed the Jetty, Drill hall and Sentry Box from the rest of the Battery.The notion of transportation to and from Dawes Point was contemplated as early as 1816 when Jamaican, Billy Blue had petitioned Governor Macquarie for permission to establish a boat dock to ferry people across the Harbour, and in 1830 he ran a regular Passage Boat to Dawes Point with his sons and son-in-law. The boat dock was situated approximately where the Ives Steps Wharf are next to Pier One. The steps at this time were called Waterman's Steps, the name stemming from the individual 'watermen' who would row people the short distance from Dawes Point to Blues or Milson's Point for a small charge. They worked independently of Billy Blue, and had a bad reputation for strong language, being weak or drunk and rising the prices in periods of high demand. The steps were named after Alderman Isaac Ellis Ives around 1896.

The likely departure point of the passage boats are evidenced in a Lycett picture of 1822 showing the point, it has a wharf, a shed and a road leading to it. The road was originally called George Street North, now Lower Fort Street, and is occasionally marked on maps as the 'road to the ferry'. The road extended down to the water before Hickson Road was built. During the construction of the Bridge this area again became a landing place with materials shipped across the Harbour from the workshops at Lavender Bay. Currently the Ives Steps Wharf is a landing place for commercial and recreational vessels as well as water taxis. Between 1879-82 the seawall was under construction, a photo of 1904 shows the wall without it's current iron railing. Walsh designed an improved seawall in 1900 of pre-cast reinforced concrete, on the waters edge and it proved to be rat proof at the request of the newly formed Sydney Harbour Trust.

The seawall acquired its iron rail in 1911-12 matching others installed at Circular Quay.In 1878 the Colonial government decided to build a public promenade around the military compound, it is possible that some of the steps, cast iron picket fences and bollards date from the last decades of the nineteenth century, although they may have been relocated during the 1910-11 works which included the widening of Lower Fort Street. A plan of c1900 also shows that public baths had been constructed by this date, most likely around c1876.Following Federation in 1901 defence became the realm of the Federal Government, after heated debate it was agreed that Dawes Point Reserve was the property of the state and it ceased to have a military function. Some of the buildings were leased as private residences, and in 1909 the Water Police took over the Greenway guardhouse. From 1918 the Officers Quarters were used as a tractor training school by the Department of Repatriation to train soldiers returning from World War 1.

A plan was drawn showing the area to the east of the battery reserved for the public with a series of footpaths. Also intended was the extension of Hickson Road around the point. The planning of the Harbour Bridge would have had some bearing on the layout of these features and in 1925 all the buildings were empty to make way for their demolition.The Horse Ferry Wharf appears to have been built in the last decade of the nineteenth century, it commenced service in 1901 to Blues Point. It was built to relieve the main vehicular ferry wharf from Bennelong Point to Milsons Point. The completion of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932 made both services redundant. The large timber wharf was demolished leaving only the masonry ramp and retaining wall, which still exist today. It is possible that archaeological evidence of the wharf still exists below the water line.The Bubonic Plague scare in 1900 provided the New South Wales Government with the opportunity to acquire the harbour foreshore areas, including The Rocks, so that it could provide more modern and hygienic wharfage facilities. One of the primary concerns was the improvement of the wharfage facilities.

The building of Pier One wharf replaced the former municipal baths building and necessitated the demolition of the general barracks associated with the battery. In the newly named Walsh Bay a further four finger wharves were built each with the same principle of an upper store connected to other roads by bridging across Hickson Road. Simultaneously, Lower Fort Street (then an extension of George Street) was widened and new retaining walls and stairs constructed at what is now the north-west corner of the reserve necessitating the removal of some of the battery outbuildings. A bridge from Lower Fort Street to the upper level of Pier One was constructed.The road that formerly had lead to the Horse Ferry Wharf was extended around Dawes Point and named Hickson Road, after the President of the Sydney Harbour Trust. The road then continued along the eastern side of Darling Harbour to meet with Sussex Street. In creating the road some timber-framed buildings were removed from what is now the site of the Bridge Pylon. The former explosives jetty with its sentry box became detached from the rest of the battery.A further consequence of the Rocks resumption on 1901 was the realignment of Cumberland Street.

This occurred between 1913 and 1916, involving amongst other works, changing the junction of Cumberland Street at its northern end from George Street to Lower Fort Street. This work anticipated the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge approach structure and approach spans. These works meant that Cumberland Street turned sharply running parallel with George Street for the last fifty meters before meeting Lower Fort Street at right angles. This left an area between the two streets, which was then subject to landscaping. Stone steps were constructed giving access from George Street, on a lower level, to Cumberland Street. A fountain, garden and public toilet facilities completed the structure, built 1916-20.Until the commencement of the construction of the Bridge approach, George Street terminated at what is now the north end of Lower Fort Street. To the east of the Stair/toilet block, was a roughly triangular space, the hypotenuse of which cut across the Reserve.

When the Bridge was completed much of this triangle of land was incorporated into the Reserve and George St made to terminate at Lower Fort Street, what had been the northern end of George Street was then incorporated into Lower Fort Street.For the construction of the Harbour Bridge the battery and Greenway guardhouse were razed and on completion the ground levels around them were changed. The five cannon were removed to Taronga Park Zoo where they remained until their return to the Reserve in 1945. The Officers Quarters and another Officers' residential building was used as office accommodation for Dorman and Long, the engineers building the Bridge. Two "U" shaped tunnels were excavated in the second half of 1925, one on either side of the Harbour. The inlet for the southern shaft was situated on the site of the Greenway guardhouse, excavated to a depth of forty metres, and came out on the eastern side of the subterranean powder magazines. Through the shafts were threaded the 128 two inch thick cables intended to hold back each half of the bridge arches until they met in the middle.

When the two half arches met on 19 August 1930 the cables, having served their purpose were removed and the shafts filled. On completion of the Bridge in 1932 the remaining battery buildings were demolished, although some of the sandstone retaining walls and steps in the vicinity of the Officers' quarters were retained.During the construction of the Bridge, Dawes Point was closed to the Public. Buildings, structures, most paths and trees were removed and the current arrangement of paths created on completion of the Bridge. Tree planting ceremonies were held at Dawes Point and Milsons Point in 1931 by the chief engineer Dr John Job Crew Bradfield. It is likely that these plantings were symbolic or experimental and no longer remain. Dr Bradfield's vision for landscaping around the Bridge seems to have been for Australian trees in a lawn setting. The planter boxes at the base of the abutment towers were to be planted with Poplars and Rosemary in a war memorial theme.

It is uncertain if these plantings occurred, if so they have not survived.The avenue of 12 Ficus Hillii and other sub tropical trees were planted by the City Council in the 1940s with funds from the Harbour Bridge Project. In 1945 the five cannon from the battery were returned to the Park and reinstated about ten metres from their original position. They were fired regularly on ceremonial occasions up to 1973. Since its completion in the 1940s the Park has contributed strongly to the experience of Inner Sydney Harbour, providing a landscape for the setting of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and a precious recreational resource for the people of The Rocks and Millers Point. It has been a site of celebration for occasions such as the Bicentennial, the Olympics, Australia Day and New Years Eve.The archaeological excavations of 1995 and 2000 and the interpretation of the site opened in 2002 have provided an new focus of community interest in Dawes Point.See also Dawes Point Battery (item no. 4500494) and Cannon (item no.

4500491) Historical significance: Dawes Point Tar-ra holds a significant place in the history of Australia. It is one of the first places where the contact between the Aboriginal and European people was recorded. (National significance).Dawes Point is the site of Australia's first scientific station, the Observatory, established in August 1788 by Lieutenant William Dawes for the Astronomer Royal, Nevil Maskelyne, on behalf of the Board of Longitude, in order to observe Halley's Comet. Dawes Point was the terminus of the first formal road in the colony. Originally a track beaten out in 1788 along a ledge of conveniently flat land, it later became known as George Street North.The construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge between 1925 and 1932 confirmed the important position of Dawes Point Tar-ra in the history of Sydney's transport system and the changing technologies in urban transport.

The remains of the 1820s Watermen's Steps, the c.1896 Ives Steps, Horse Ferry and later Vehicular Wharf from the 1890s, together with the Bridge, demonstrate a sequence of historical transport modes contributing to the northerly development of suburban Sydney across this narrowest Point of the Harbour. Internationally the Bridge holds an important position in the history of civil and structural engineering, recognised as a National Engineering Landmark by the Institution of Engineers and as an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The bridge was designed by Dr J. J. C. Bradfield, one of the most important Australian engineers of the twentieth century. The history and method of its construction continues to inspire pride in Australia's engineering abilities. Physical evidence of this masterpiece of engineering construction remains in the 'U' shaped cable tunnel buried in the sandstone bedrock beneath Dawes Point Tar-ra Park.The recreational use of the Point, formally recognised in 1878, is representative of Sydney's strong association with its Harbour, beyond its transport and industrial uses.

As public open space Dawes Point Tar-ra is strongly linked to the twentieth century Rocks and Miller's Point communities as an oasis of green in an increasingly urbanised society. Historical association: Aesthetic significance: William Dawes' detailed record of the weather at Dawes Point from 1788-1791 provides a strong foundation upon which the climatological and meteorological history of Australia is based and is of great historical significance to the international community. It was the first major site in the defensive strategies of the British colony (1791-1900). Due to its strategic position on the harbour, Dawes Point was an integral link in communications in the colony. Between 1790 and 1840 the Dawes Point Signalling Station enabled rapid transfer of advice on approaching ships and general communications between the South Head Signal Station and Parramatta where the Governor at times resided. The Cable Hut is associated with early communications industry and continues to mark an access point for the submarine cables across the harbour to the North Shore.

The Cable Hut, possibly designed by James Barnet, Colonial Architect, is a rare finely detailed sandstone cylindrical structure that is a landmark on the harbour foreshore.Aesthetically, Dawes Point Tar-ra contributes to the magnificent landscaped setting for the internationally recognised icons of Australia - Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and Sydney Cove. The sheer size of the Harbour Bridge and its massive construction components are awe-inspiring when viewed from Dawes Point Tar-ra. The Bridge is one of Australia's major internationally recognised icons. Dawes Point Tar-ra combines a range of urban design features from the early twentieth century, exemplary of the changing tastes throughout this period. The unpainted, rendered retaining walls and pilasters of the Hickson Road retaining wall (1920s) are particularly distinct, intact examples of Inter-War Stripped Classical civic design. The Bridge Abutment Towers and Piers (1925-32), designed by Thomas Tait of the prominent British firm, Tait and Burnet, make an important ensemble of Art Deco design.

The simple, relatively open landscaping of the majority of the Dawes Point Tar-ra Park is representative of park designs of the early twentieth century and results partly from the need for a simple setting for the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Canary Island Palms on the harbour promenade and an avenue of Fig Trees in the Park are indicative plantings of the 1910s and 1940s respectively. The open space is representative of the pressure placed on Sydney Council from the late nineteenth century to provide "promenade" access to the Harbour in the vicinity of Sydney. Social significance: Dawes Point Tar-ra, as part of Sydney Cove and the setting of the international icons of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, is revered by the majority of Australians.

Next to the Park Hyatt, Sydney, Hickson Road Reserve is the most popular of all the foreshore areas for filming and photography with its extensive views of the harbour, Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.Dawes Point Tar-ra is important for its cultural values to several identifiable groups within NSW society including present and former residents of the Rocks and Millers Point; people involved in the fight to save the Rocks in the 1970s; descendants of the many artillerymen and their families who were stationed at Dawes Point Tar-ra; and Bridge construction and maintenance workers, their families and descendants.Dawes Point Tar-ra, as a setting for the Harbour Bridge, is valued for its aesthetic and engineering significance by several identifiable groups including the Institution of Engineers (Australia) and the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. Research significance: The archaeological potential has been demonstrated in the 1995 excavations. The remains of the Dawes Point Tar-ra battery remain exposed awaiting conservation and interpretation. The site still contains a significant archaeological resource unexcavated. The post 1788 archaeological remains at Dawes Point Tar-ra revealed to date are extremely important for their research potential.

Such archaeological sites from the 18th century are exceedingly rare with the remains of First Government House and parts of the Dockyard on the western side of the Cove being some of the few examples bearing witness to the first 10 years of European settlement at Sydney Cove. Only a handful of the colonial architect Francis Greenway's structures survive. With the excavation of the semi-circular battery an interesting part of his work has been rediscovered. Likewise, Greenway's quarry on the site is the only example of the careful mining of stone from this period in Sydney. The archaeology of the Battery floor and underground magazines also reveals elements constructed under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel George Barney, one of Australia's most important Colonial Engineers in the mid nineteenth century, such as the 1850s gun emplacements. Together with the presence of the cannon from this time, on their original timber block supports the Battery is an important archive of military history. The archaeological remains also have a strong aesthetic appeal as evocative ruins of Australia's colonial past.

The Cable Hut may have Technical/Research potential for its ability to reveal information about the development of early submarine cabling.There is likely to be maritime archaeological evidence associated with both the former Horse and the Vehicular Ferry Wharves at Dawes Point tar ra. (Local significance) Rare assessment: Dawes Point Tar-ra is an integral part of Sydney Cove with its strong historical associations as the site of the first European settlement and the first contact between Aboriginal peoples and Europeans. Dawes Point Tar-ra was the site of the Colony's first Observatory and the termination of the Colony's first road. The Dawes Point Fort was the first substantial fortification and major element in Sydney Harbour nineteenth century defences, appearing in many early maps and views of Sydney as the developing heart of a new colony. Dawes Point, has been the site of continuous European occupation since the first months of settlement for government (mainly defence), transport, recreation and as an early, possibly the first, colonial/aboriginal burial site.Dawes Point maintains vestiges of all periods of its occupation. Since 1788 the Point has been terraced and filled with each successive land use.

All of these land uses have been closely linked with the site's unique position, occupying a prominent headland with vistas up and down the Harbour. Dawes Point Park still encompasses more than 90% of the area set aside for military purposes in the late 18th century. Very little of this area has been alienated from public use, providing potential for interpretation of the layers of history since 1788. Representative assessment: Dawes Point is the narrowest part of the drowned river valley, Sydney Harbour. It is a modified landscape that retains evidence of the original Hawkesbury sandstone landform.Dawes Point, The Rocks and Millers Point areas, are particularly notable for their evidence of the early colonial settlement and cemetery as well as convict workmanship.The structure of the Bridge effectively tied the north and south shores together, and in conjunction with the remains of the Horse Ferry Wharf, demonstrates the northerly development of urban and suburban Sydney. Intact assessment: Archaeology partly disturbed, however there remains a large potential archaeological resource throughout the precinct. Physical condition: The first known building on the site was Dawes' observatory built in early 1788.

A powder magazine was constructed in 1789 followed by the Battery in 1791. It was expanded substantially in 1819. Further buildings in relation to the Battery were constructed in the 1850s and at the end of the century. There was also a public baths constructed on the western side of the point, and several wharves. All buildings were levelled between 1925 and 1932 during the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.The archaeological remains revealed to date are unparalleled in Australia because they represent a broad range of significant historical periods. Archaeological sites from the 18th century are exceedingly rare with only the remains of First Government House and parts of the Dockyard on the western side of the Cove bearing witness to the first 10 years of white settlement in the Sydney CBD. Only a handful of the colonial architect Francis Greenway's structures survive. With the excavation of the semi-circular battery floor an interesting part of his work has been rediscovered. Greenway's quarry on the site is a good example of the careful mining of stone from this period in Sydney.

The archaeology of the Battery floor and underground magazines also reveals elements constructed under the direction of George Barney, one of Australia's most important Colonial Engineers in the mid 19th century, such as the 1850s gun emplacements. Together with the presence of movable heritage associated with the site , the Battery is an important archive of military history. The archaeological remains also have a strong aesthetic appeal as evocative ruins of Australia's colonial past.A lower Battery was located some 5-10 metres to the east of the main Battery. This consisted of a line of guns running north south. This area has not been investigated although it expected that remains survive under the Park landscaping. Together with the possible maritime archaeological remains of the wharves and ferry docks, Dawes Point has a significant archaeological potential. Australian Theme Sydney - Australia Attractions Sydney Harbour Bridge One of the most impressive landmarks of Sydney is the Harbour Bridge, which spans the harbour from Dawes Point to Milsons Point. It was constructed between 1923 and 1932. The bridge measures 134 m in height, is 502 m long, 48.8 m wide and weighs 52,800 tons.

For only one coat 30,000 l of paint are necessary. The Sydneysiders call it the "Coathanger". Can you guess why ;) ? Sydney Harbour Bridge| AFAR.com Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge It's the quintessential thing to do in Sydney , and it's alot of fun! You won't get a better bird's-eye-view of Sydney 's amazing landmarks— including the Opera House and Luna Park— than from the top of the iconic Harbour Bridge. #afarexperiences Have you been here? Share a tip or a photo with fellow travelers. add it now Bridge Climb A little touristy? Perhaps, but a heck of an experience, nonetheless, and views to die for. I'm not sure you'll be able to climb a bridge like this anywhere else. It's expensive ($200-$300 per person) and you cannot take a camera (not even your iPhone up there—your climb leader will take a picture of you).

By Nina Dietzel , AFAR Ambassador Sydney Bridge Climbers By Alfonso Calero This is Sydney: Harbour Bridge Walking down from the Observatory in Miller's Point, I can't stop snapping away at the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. It never gets old. I think the same can be said of the Eifel Tower in Paris, the Pyramids in Alexandria, all of Manhattan in New York, and the Grand Canyon in Arizona. That's why we travel, right? We want to be in all those take-your-breath away places. By Stacy C. Uebelhor Sydney Bridge Walk It's always sunny in... Sydney ! Except for the day I decided to walk across the bridge. It rained and pour, but the metal work glistened and shined. Sydney Harbor Bridge At Night Get a great view of the bridge from a ferry, day or night. By Kathy Swanson The Sydney Harbour Bridge at Dusk I love visiting big iconic bridges during the sunset. Trips at dusk to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge have resulted in spectacular photographs of the urban landscape. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was another great experience! The bridge is accessible by foot or by bike and is surrounded by some of the biggest attractions in Sydney.

More adventurous types might opt for the Bridge Climb Tour ( where participants get to scale the summit of the 134-meter arch for panoramic views of the city. And yes, they offer a Twilight Tour near sunset (and a dawn tour at sunrise). We were content walking across the bridge on the pedestrian walkway. It was a brisk spring evening in Sydney, and we didn't envy the tourists climbing the bridge overhead. The views from the bridge are stunning in every direction, and it is a magnificent vantage point to see the Sydney Opera House and the Central Business District. Dawes Point Dawes Point Suburb Harbourside suburb at the southern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, adjacent to The Rocks. From the earliest days of the colony it was a significant as the site of the first observatory and one of the earliest gun placements. Names by Shirley Fitzgerald , 2008 Known to its Cadigal traditional owners as Ta-Ra, the land that became Dawes Point was Sydney's first observatory and weather station, run by William Dawes. It was fortified to a Greenway design and remained government land.

In 1925 part of the fort was demolished for the Sydney Harbour Bridge and most of the land became Dawes Point Park. Milsons Point Milsons Point Milsons Point Margaret Park Prior to the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932, the waterways of the harbour linked north and south Sydney. Row boats and ferries crossed the harbour as a way of life, forever establishing the lower shores of North Sydney as a major transport hub. The original inhabitants of these foreshores, rocky cliffs and points were known as the Cammeraygal. Their land covered most of the lower north shore and included the area of Milsons Point and Kirribilli. As early as the 1790s, soon after European settlement in Port Jackson, large land grants displaced the Cammeraygal, as did the land granted to James Milson for whom Milsons Point is named.

Watkin Tench rightly observed 'that the Cammeraygal possessed the best fishing grounds in Port Jackson.' [1] Perhaps this accounts for its Aboriginal name, for the Cammeraygals knew this land as Kiarabilli or Kiarabilly, believed to translate into English as 'a good fishing spot.' [2] Milsons Point and Kirribilli form part of the bay and peninsula on the lower edge of North Sydney, located under the northern approaches of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Milsons Point is to the bridge's west and Kirribilli to its east. The point is located in North Sydney Council boundaries and, prior to 1890, it was within the boundaries of the Borough of East St Leonards. Early landholders James Milson senior arrived in Sydney in 1806. Although he was long associated with the Milsons Point area, it was not until Governor Thomas Brisbane's term of office (1821–25) that Milson was officially granted his 50 acres (20 hectares). This land was originally part of a larger grant given to Robert Ryan in 1800, and a subsequent ownership takeover by Robert Campbell, a prominent Sydney merchant and landholder.

The colony's growth saw the expansion of white settlement beyond the southern shores of Sydney Cove. James Milson made good use of his north shore land and skillfully utilised its best advantages: fresh water supplies and ballast for the shipping trade which dominated the waterways of Port Jackson. According to one contemporary observer, Mr Milson, North Shore, has cut a cistern in the solid rock capable of containing 100 tons of water [which is] supplied from an excellent spring constructed so as to fill, by means of a leather hose conductor, ship's boats along the beach where the water is of sufficient depth to float a ship of the line. [3] When Milson first arrived in Sydney he took up a position as a labourer on Kilpack's farm in the Castle Hill area. It was this experience which enabled him to work his rocky and unyielding land, to produce a variety of foods to sell to passing ships, as well as grazing cattle to furnish the township with milk. In 1826 a bushfire engulfed the whole of the north shore and Milson's land, his first home, Brisbane Cottage, and the Milk House were destroyed.

Afterwards, Milson built two larger, more substantial homes further up the point. Brisbane House was a stone house with two storeys facing Lavender Bay, then commonly called Hulk Bay, after the convict hulks moored nearby. Grantham was a large bungalow-style sandstone home on a larger plot of land (now occupied by the Greenway Housing Commission flats). Both homes were demolished in 1925–26 to make way for the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Water supply The location of Milsons Point ensured that it would play a significant role in the development of the lower north shore. Its proximity to the city meant it was the spot for the connection of the first water supply to the northern shores. This supply was piped from the closest southern point, Dawes Point, to Milsons Point in 1885. Before this, landowners and residents had to rely on springs, creeks and wells for their watering needs. Regular complaints about the quality of the water, combined with the establishment of the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board in 1888, resulted in a link from the Ryde pipeline in 1892 to the rapidly growing north shore.

As population and demand increased, pipelines were extended well into the early twentieth century. Ferries Water dominated the daily life of the lower north shore, and the dependency on water travel to and from the city sparked the development of the ferry trade. By the end of 1929 it was carrying over 40 million passengers per annum. This peak dramatically fell to a third by the time of the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932, due to the scaling down of ferry services by Sydney Ferries Ltd. [4] The first ferry services had been offered by opportunistic resident settlers such as William (Billy) Blue, one of the first of the watermen who plied their trade from the north side of the harbour. Formalised and regular services were later introduced from McMahons and Blues Point, the peninsula immediately to the west of Milsons Point. Services increased dramatically between the 1830s and the1860s and included a vehicular ferry to carry horses and carts, as well as people across Port Jackson for business, shopping and pleasure.

In the early 1860s, James Milson junior and several of his business colleagues banded together to form the North Shore Ferry Company, later known as Sydney Ferries Ltd. The ferry they introduced ran between Circular Quay and Milsons Point, and was licensed to carry 60 passengers. In 1886, cable trams began their run from the Milsons Point ferry terminus up to Ridge Street, North Sydney via Miller Street. This cemented Milsons Point as the transport hub for all of the lower north shore. To coincide with the cable tram, a ferry arcade was constructed as an interchange between trams and ferries. In 1893 the extension of the railway link to Milsons Point delivered even more passengers to this terminus. A stylish and notable structure, the Milsons Point Ferry Arcade dominated the landscape until its demolition in 1924 to make way for bridge works.

In May 1887, the North Shore and Manly Times had described it as, Consisting principally of two waiting rooms and decorated throughout in a highly satisfactory manner, the new structure will be surmounted by a domed tower having walls of 48 feet high and a total elevation over all of 64 feet … each room will be fully provided with all necessary conveniences whilst the dome itself, to be surmounted by a flagstaff, will serve as an excellent look-out … Leaving the waiting room and walking up the main street the pedestrian will pass beneath a very extensive arcade. [5] The effect of the Bridge The first railway station had opened in 1893 when the Hornsby to St Leonards line was extended through Wollstonecraft and Waverton, around Lavender Bay to Milsons Point. It was moved to a new site north of this in 1915, and then again in 1924, when the bridge work began and the site was acquired for the construction workshops of Dorman Long Co.

To ensure ease of movement and transfer between the modal changes, the vehicular ferry service was moved east away from the construction works to a new wharf at Jeffrey Street, Kirribilli. The Milsons Point passenger terminal was moved back to its original position in Lavender Bay, and a modern innovation, the escalator, was installed to move people up and down the cliff face between the shores of the bay and Alfred Street. These new people-movers were designed to move 10,000 people per hour, and caused quite a stir amongst the first to ride them. According to the resident Victor Wills, the area at this time, was densely populated… there were many terraced houses and they were two storey. They lined Alfred Street from Dind's Street where Dind's Hotel was where they had all the bohemian gatherings … I used to go down to Milsons Point to meet [my sister] when she came back from work … there were shops from the Milsons Point wharf right up till Fitzroy Street, a wide variety of shops, fish shops and cooked shops – what we would now call take away food shops – used to call them cooked shops in those days … there were so many houses cleared out of there.

[6] Hardship was a way of life for many local residents in the 1920s. The building of the bridge gave some people hope and employment, but others lost their homes and their livelihood without compensation and with nowhere to go. The Milsons Point Ferry Arcade, a local landmark and meeting place, soon disappeared, together with many shops, churches, terrace houses, workers' cottages, local businesses and hotels. The old colonial landmark homes, such as those once belonging to the Milson family and other gentry who had settled in the area, also disappeared. The bridge opened up a new railway station on the western side of its northern approach, and ferries still operated to and from the local wharves, although with a much reduced level of service. Yet rebuilding the area did not proceed quickly. Decisions by the state and local governments had to be reached to allocate the land for private or public use. The area immediately under the new bridge was dedicated as a park and named in honour of the government engineer, JJC Bradfield. The foreshore land of the disused workshops and wharves became the subject of much debate for town planners, councillors and local members of parliament.

Luna Park An approach from Luna Park in Glenelg to shift their amusement park from South Australia to the shores of Lavender Bay and onto the site of the Dorman Long workshops proved successful, and a lease was granted. Luna Park opened on 4 October 1935 to much fanfare and excitement. The park was a place of reprieve and a focal point for entertainment when World War II broke out in September 1939. It continued to attract visitors over the years, when it was properly maintained and run by experienced showmen, such as David Atkins and Harold Phillips. Ted Hopkins was a key figure in the construction of the park on the harbour foreshores and its main operator from 1935–70. Afterwards the amusement park was run by businessmen and neglect set in. A tragic fire in one of its major attractions, the Ghost Train, in 1979, resulted in its closure. Resuscitation by redevelopment and restoration occurred between the 1980s and 2000s, causing the park to open and close until its recent reopening in 2004.

North Sydney Olympic Pool The Dorman Long workshops also provided space for a large and safe harbourside pool at North Sydney. The North Sydney Olympic Pool opened its doors on 4 April 1936, emblazoned with art deco designs and brickwork. Its modern water filtration system provided a healthier swimming environment and it was nicknamed 'the wonder pool'. When Sydney hosted the 1938 Empire Games, the Milsons Point pool, already an established fixture for swimming competitions and even used as a film set, was the stage for the Games' swimming and diving programs. As its use increased and changed from the 1930s to the 1980s the pool acquired a bubble cover to ensure its place as a year-round attraction. While Luna Park remained in private leasehold, the pool's operation was controlled by the local council. An additional heated pool and refurbishment, negating the need for the bubble cover during the winter, was added in 2000. These landmarks have ensured that Milsons Point remains a popular northside location. A new skyline The building boom of the second half of the twentieth century dramatically altered the Point's views and vistas.

High-rise buildings replaced the low-scale housing which had dominated the point throughout the first half of the century. Developers grabbed opportunities to bundle sites together and demolish the old for the new. This was permitted prior to any substantial heritage conservation legislation or local environment plans. The redevelopment of the remaining western side of Alfred Street with its vantage points over the harbour escalated unchecked and the landscape irrevocably changed. To gain a glimpse into the past of the point, visit the northern end of Bradfield Park adjacent to Milsons Point Station. Here, the local council has erected interpretive signage noting the buildings which once lined the eastern side of Alfred Street.

References Val Attenbrow, Sydney's Aboriginal Past, University of New South Wales Press, Kensington, 2003 Mackay Godden, North Sydney Heritage Study Review, North Sydney Council, North Sydney, 1993 Lianne Hall, Down the Bay: the Changing Foreshores of North Sydney, North Sydney Council, North Sydney, 1997 Michael Jones, North Sydney 1788–1988, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 1988 Joan Lawrence, Lavender Bay to the Spit, Kingsclear Books, Sydney, 1999 Margaret Park, Naming North Sydney, 2nd edition, North Sydney Council, 1996 Margaret Park, Designs on a Landscape: A Planning History of North Sydney, Halstead Press, 2003 Eric Russell, The Opposite Shore: North Sydney and Its People, John Ferguson with North Shore Historical Society and North Sydney Council, 1990 Catherine Warne, Pictorial History: Lower North Shore, Kingsclear Books, Sydney, 2005 Notes [1] Ian Hoskins, Aboriginal North Sydney: An Outline of Indigenous History, North Sydney, North Sydney Council, 200

7, p13 [2] Val Attenbrow, Sydney's Aboriginal Past, University of New South Wales Press, Kensington, 2003, p 9; Margaret Park, Naming North Sydney, 2nd edition, North Sydney Council, 1996, p 74 [3] Scott Milson, The Earth Brought Forth: the Milsons of Milsons Point, 4SQ publishing, Bondi Beach, 2006, p 33 [4] Len A Clarke, North of the Harbour: a Brief History of Transport to and on the North Shore, Newey and Beath, Sydney, 1976, p 27 [5] North Shore and Manly Times, May 1887 in David Earle, Local Studies Collection, North Sydney Heritage Centre [6] Victor Wills quoted in Margaret Park, Building a Bridge for Sydney: the North Sydney Connection, North Sydney Council, North Sydney, 2000, p 13 .

Dawes Point Sydney Apartments for Rent and Rentals - Walk Score Walk Score Eating & Drinking There are about 134 restaurants, bars and coffee shops in Dawes Point. People in Dawes Point can walk to an average of 41 restaurants, bars and coffee shops in 5 minutes. Restaurant Choices Map = More Choices Dawes Point is Talking About... glenmore rooftop hotel beer the rocks sydney opera house art bridge pancakes museum of contemporary art drink pancakes on the rocks löwenbräu keller harbour bridge lunch dinner sydney harbour food overseas passenger terminal bridgeclimb sydney sydney harbour bridge park hyatt sydney Dawes Point is all about: Series/Contract for the construction of a cantilever bridge across Sydney Harbour from Dawes Point to Milson's point - Specification" | State Archives and Records NSW 11. Painting metalwork and timberwork; 12. Materials of Construction for superstructure and deck; 13. Foundations; 14. Piers and Abutments; 15. Piers and abutments of arch spans in approach. These descriptive sections are followed by General Conditions, tender form and schedule of quantities and prices. The specification is indexed.

The plans described in part 2 are attached - viz. 1. Plan of the site; 2. Bird's Eye View; 3. Elevation Showing principal dimensions; 4. Perspective Elevation; 5. Suspended span - Railway deck and general details; 6. Suspended span- Main roadway, motor roadway and footway; 7. Location and description of bores; 8. Main piers; 10. Southern approach spans - General Arrangement; 11. Southern approach Spans - Piers and abutment; 12. Northern approach spans - General Arrangement; 13. Northern Approach Spans - Piers and Abutment; 14. South Portal; 15. South Anchor Arm and Approach Spans; 16. Map of New South Wales, showing the location of various Materials of Construction and Manufacturing Industries. The erection of a bridge according to these specifications did not proceed. Bradfield worked on alternate plans for an arch bridge in 1921. The Sydney Harbour Bridge Act, 1922, which received assent on 24 November 1922, allowed for either a cantilever or an arch bridge.

Fresh specifications calling for tenders for either design were issued in 1923. Custody History This record series was handed to the Archives Authority of NSW on 11 June 1968 by the Bradfield family. It was apparently an archival estray. Sydney Harbour Bridge, approaches and viaducts (road and rail) | NSW Environment & Heritage Sydney Harbour Bridge, approaches and viaducts (road and rail) Location: Bradfield Highway and North Shore Railway, Milsons Point/Dawes Point, NSW 2000 Constructed: 1924-1932 A visit to Sydney would not be complete without crossing the world famous Sydney Harbour Bridge, be it by car, railway, bicycle or on foot. Within the south-east pylon, on the sity side of the bridge, you can visit the Pylon Lookout. Open to the public daily it requires a 200 stair climb but offers historical information about the famous bridge's design and construction during the Great Depression, complete with spectacular views of the harbour and the city. For the more adventurous, BridgeClimb will guide you up the steel ladders to the very top of the arch!

>> Hide detail Physical description The bridge is constructed of silicon steel trusses and joists painted dark grey. The pylons are faced with granite. The portion of the approaches nearest the arch are constructed of open work steel joists which are supported by granite-faced pillars. The remainder of the approaches are steel and masonry construction with render finish. The span of the arch, measured between the centres of the end pins, is 1670 feet. The arch is divided into 28 panels of open steel work, each panel being 58 ft. 11 in. The rise of the arch at its crown is 250 feet and the depth of the truss at the centre of the arch is 60 feet and at the end it is 188 feet. Under the heaviest allowable load, the deflection at the centre of the bridge is 4 and half inches, and the maximum thrust at the hinges, (ie at the ends of the arch) is 435,000,000 lb. per hinge. The top of the arch is 445 ft. above water level and the roadway suspended below the arch is 170 ft. above the water level.

The 'roadway' is 150 ft wide and total length including the approaches is 3816 ft. The steel sections were produced in the Britannia Works of Dorman Long & Co, Middlesborough, England and fabricated in the company's workshops especially erected on the shores of Lavender Bay (Mackaness, C (ed): Bridging Sydney, Historic Houses Trust, 2006). The granite facing the towers and pylons is from Moruya. (Walker and Kerr 1974). The five million rivets were manufactured by Macphersons of Melbourne. Modifications 1924 - construction commenced. 2003 - Excavations for landscape upgrade of Bradfield Park North have led to the discovery of archaeological remains of former houses and other structures at Milsons Point. Condition Physical condition is excellent.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL POTENTIAL: In 2001, the archaeological potential was assessed as low (Di Fazio), however during excavations for approved landscaping upgrade works in April 2003 archaeological relics were discovered: "The sandstone walls at Bradfield Park North are assessed as having 'moderate' heritage significance at a local level in the context of the overall established significance of Bradfield Park. The walls contribute to the overall significance of the Bradfield Park precinct for the following reasons: -The sandstone walls date to the late 1800s, an early period of occupation in Milsons Point. The walls are an intact part of the original boundaries surrounding the residence located at 115-117 Alfred Street. The walls are therefore surviving elements of North Sydney's history; and -The walls are part of the original layout associated with the early structures of Alfred Street, Milsons Point and are indicative of an initial phase of use of Bradfield Park. "The surviving walls are significant through their ability to demonstrate that the construction of the bridge had both a positive and negative impact on the North Shore community.

The walls demonstrate that the Bridge resulted in the destruction of established houses and other buildings at Milsons Point" [Statement of Heritage Impact - Sandstone Walls: Bradfield Park North, Milsons Point (2003: 8-9), McFadyen and Stuart, HLA Envirosciences]. A cesspit or well unexpected found in July 2003 is likely to been located to the rear of a domestic property at the site, according to an analysis of historical plans (Russell and McFadyen, HLA Envirosciences 2003: 4). History In 1815, government architect Francis Greenway, in a report to Governor Macquarie, proposed the building of a bridge from Dawes Point at the city's edge to the northern shore. However it was not until 1922 that legislation was passed and acted upon, authorising the construction of a bridge. Tenders were invited in 1923 in accordance with general plans and specifications prepared by Dr J.J.C. Bradfield, Chief Engineer, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Railway Construction. The plans and specification provided the alternatives of a cantilever bridge or an arch bridge.

Twenty proposals were received from six different companies for various types of design, including suspension bridges not covered by Dr Bradfield's specification. The tender of Dorman Long and Co. Ltd., of Middlesborough England for an arch bridge was accepted, the design being substantially in accordance with one of Dr Bradfield's proposals. The detailed design was carried out by the Contractor's Consulting Engineer, Sir Ralph Freeman, and the fabrication and construction were under the direct charge of Mr Lawrence Ennis, a director of the firm. The design and the construction of the bridge were supervised at all stages by Dr. Bradfield and his staff. First work on the bridge commenced in 1924, with construction of the bridge approaches and the approach spans. While the approach spans were being built, the foundations on either side of the harbour were prepared to take four steel bearings consisting of large hinge pins and massive steel bases for support of the arches. At each end of the arch span of the bridge, and just behind the bearings, large abutment towers supporting the pylons were constructed. The abutment towers with the pylons are not a necessary structural feature of the bridge. They do not support the arch and were built principally to enhance the appearance of the structure.

As the erection of the steelwork was proceeding, the approaches were being constructed, including Milsons Point and North Sydney railway stations, and roadway approaches on both sides of the harbour. The bridge was opened to roadway, railway and pedestrian traffic by the then Premier of New South Wales, Mr J.T. Lang, on the 19th March 1932. The time taken to complete the whole work, including bridge and approaches was eight years. The contract for the bridge construction provided for six months' maintenance by the contractors from the date of opening, after which maintenance became the responsibility of the State.

(GHD Transportation Consultant 1982:4) BRADFIELD PARK NORTH (SANDSTONE WALLS and CESSPIT/WELL) Post-Contact History 1800: area was part of a land grant given to Robert Ryan; 1850s: following subsequent acquisitions, subdivision and sale, the area became known as the Milsons Point Wharf and Lane Cove Road (Alfred Street) development, with subsequent urban development (primarily working class terrace housing); 1924: construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge began, resulting in the demolition of all extant dwellings, structures and streets in the Milsons Point Wharf and Lane Cove Road (Alfred Street) development (a total of 438 houses were demolished for the construction of the northern approaches of the Harbour Bridge). Subsequent reclamation works provided more useable foreshore/public space and the area became known as Bradfield Park North.

Bradfield Park North was also used as a depot for large machinery and vehicles used during the construction phase of the bridge; 1930s: After the Bridge was completed the area required replanting and rehabilitation; 1932: the site was handed over to North Sydney Council for long term management and was subsequently redesigned as described in the previous S60 assessment report in Annexure A; c1940s: The Park was briefly used by the Royal Australian Air Force as a mobilisation, movement and demobilisation depot. Early 19th and 20th century surveyed plans as well as a 1926 photograph provide the primary evidence for the existence of these structures. The study area is located in an allotment which was formerly occupied by a Victorian terrace which was a two storey dual residence at 115-117 Alfred Street. It was a typical 1890s residence constructed for occupation by the working to middle class. The photographs also show that large sandstone blocks were used under houses along Alfred Street to compensate for the sloping topography. Internet links Iconic Australian bridge was opened on this date in 1932.

– World Book INK worldbookblog Leave a comment Today, Australia celebrates the 80th “birthday” of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. The single-span, steel arch bridge first opened on March 19, 1932. Known to locals as the “Coathanger,” the bridge crosses Sydney Harbour. It connects Dawes Point in the south to Milsons Point in the north. The top of the main arch stands 440 feet (134 meters) above water level. Today, the bridge has eight lanes for vehicle traffic, a walkway, a bicycle route, and two railway tracks. Proposals to build a bridge across Sydney Harbour date to the early 1800’s. However, the size of the harbor called for a large, complex structure that was deemed impractical at the time due to the high cost of materials and labor, as well as the technical expertise required. At the time, people used ferries to transport vehicles, goods, and themselves from one side of the harbor to the other. By the early 1900’s, developments in engineering, as well as the growth of local industries manufacturing steel and concrete, had made the project more practical.

The government of New South Wales held several competitions to find a design for the bridge. However, the project stalled. The New South Wales government appointed an Advisory Board to review proposed designs for the bridge. Engineer John Job Crew Bradford, who was appointed to the board, worked for many years revising the bridge design. In 1922, the government of New South Wales passed a law authorizing the construction of the bridge. The government then sought proposals for the construction. A British firm was awarded the contract, and consulting engineer Ralph Freeman made the final design drawings. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on July 28, 1923. Construction soon began on the bridge approaches. Construction on the arches began in October 1928, and they were connected in the center in August 1930. Construction continued until January 1932. In February, engineers ran numerous safety tests. At one point, 96 locomotives were placed on the bridge’s train tracks to ensure that the bridge was strong enough. New South Wales Premier Jack Lang was set to open the bridge at a large public ceremony on March 19, 1932.

The ceremony was disrupted when a protester who opposed Lang’s policies rode onto the bridge on a horse and slashed the ceremonial ribbon with a sword. After police detained the protester, the ribbon was reattached, and Lang officially cut the ribbon and declared the bridge open. There’s more waiting for you at World Book Online. Share this and other facts about Australia on atlas of the world with your friends and family, click here to read more about this topic from our interactive encyclopedia online . Share this:

Question: What bridge connects Dawes Point to Milson's Point?
Answer: Sydney Harbour Bridge