Sydney From Above: The Sydney Australia Experience

 Sydney From Above: The Sydney Australia Experience

By Kate Ryan

I looked down and saw the distance between me and the latter. Once I grew the courage, I finally looked upwards and saw the outline of the city. Immediately, my eyes were mesmerized by the architecture and style of it all. 

Sydney, Australia, was founded in 1788. The history behind Australia is significantly beautiful. The first fleet of British ships arrived in Botany Bay. After the beginning of Sydney, many people began to fall in love with the way the city has developed. 

Once I reached the top of the bridge, I immediately felt the intensity of it all. I knew this was something I would remember forever. When I first started my travel to Sydney, Australia, I did some prior research on the history behind the country and the city. 

What I discovered was the importance and the impact this city has had on the world. The go-to travel spots in Sydney consist of the Sydney Bridge, the Opera House, and the animals that are in Sydney, mostly the kangaroos. 

I traveled to Sydney in the summer of 2024. During my travel, the biggest experience was climbing the Sydney Bridge. During my climb, I was able to see the view of the entire city. The most impactful part of the climb was learning the history of the ports and the opera house. 

Sydney Harbor, Port Jackson, is one of the many ports that are located in the city. It is directly on the water and allows for trades to take place. What I realized when viewing this port from the angle that I was, is that the location is one of the most convenient parts. 

I was able to witness the boats traveling in and out of this area and learn more about how the ports function. The other views I saw consisted of the Opera House. The Opera house was created in 1953, and from the start, its style caught the attention of others. 

The architectural design behind the opera house is significantly unique. What makes the design so different is the way that it has a modernistic and futuristic design with sails and shells for the roof. 

When viewing the opera house from the bridge, I was able to really see the way it sticks out from the rest of the city. It is one of the biggest buildings in Sydney and is one of the main travel spots in Australia due to the way it has revolutionized design as a whole. 

The Sydney Bridge was created in 1923, and a couple of years later, in 1998, the bridge climb was created. The reason the bridge climb was created is that locals of Sydney wanted to give tourists the experience of witnessing the Sydney Harbour from above. 

What makes this climb so enduring to tourists is also the way that the bridge, in general is designed. The engineering model of the bridge allows tourists to climb up ladders and walk on a rope to get across. 

In the middle of the climb, I was able to touch the different aspects of the bridge, and also witness the cars driving by from below. The adrenaline you get when being in the sky is astronomical. This bridge climb experience helps tie together what Sydney means to tourists and locals of the city and Australia as a whole. 

It wasn’t only the view that made this experience a beautiful one; it was also the way the workers appreciated getting to show and tell others about the city. When climbing down from the bridge, I could see the rush of emotion in everyone. All of the climbers dared to face their fears, while also learning more about the importance of community. Every person grew closer together from a community perspective, and also grew as people. 

After the climb, the rest of my journey into Australia was completely changed. I was able to piece together how certain parts of the city meant different things to others. The most beautiful part of Australia is the friendliness that locals show to tourists when setting foot into a new country. I had a lot of Australians help me learn more about the culture, and it helped me practice cultural appropriation. A big part of this cultural appropriation was the climb.