The last time I wrote in detail about my trip to Australia, I talked about Circular Quay, the first stop on the Rocket Harbour Cruise from Darling Harbour. The title of the post “First Stop” implies that there are other stops, to which I clearly allude at the end:

And after that, I got on the boat to see the other stops on the tour.

But somehow, I never got around to writing about those other stops. No one noticed or reminded me, so I forgot all about it, and I never got around to finishing my travel story. I thought I was done.

I wasn’t.

Not that I did much more after Circular Quay. I didn’t get off at Watson’s Bay, but I did get to hang out briefly at Taronga Zoo, where I took a few photos, including this one:

Then, when the last cruise of the day departed, it dropped me off back at Darling Harbour, right in front of the aquarium, and while I had some time left to visit it before it closed, I was really weary of being on my feet and didn’t want to spend money on a ticket for what would be a very short and very foot-sore experience. So instead I walked back to my hotel, grabbing an IMAX movie schedule on the way and preparing myself mentally for the next day, for one of the two reasons I came to Sydney in the first place—this thing:

Remember? I had written in my last Oz post:

Circular Quay is where you’ll find the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is a must see if you ever find yourself in Sydney. More on that later…

And then I never wrote about it again. No one asked me about that “more” part, though, so here I am, a full year and three months later, finally getting around to it.

But here’s the more:

Yeah, that’s right. I climbed the bridge. One of the best experiences I had in Oz, and no one asked me about it. Sigh. No wonder I keep all my best photos, artwork, and stories to myself—I only post my crap, you know; no one sees my best work.

But anyway … the bridge is all ladders and railings and steps galore. I must have banged each of my shins at least a handful of times. Plus, you’re attached to the safety railing throughout the whole thing, which means traveling in a line, one after the other. They put you through a little bit of “training” prior to the actual climb, and they make you wear a jumpsuit with air vents in the armpits and metal rings attached to the shoulders so you can clip your hat or your sunglasses to them via the lanyards they provide. They have a huge responsibility to the safety and welfare of those traveling below, across the bridge, so climbers can’t bring anything with them that isn’t on the very short list of what’s allowed. Might fall on the unsuspecting.

That meant, of course, that I couldn’t bring my camera with me on the climb. Knowing this ahead of time, I ended up leaving my camera at the hotel room entirely, though I wish that I had brought it with me because the BridgeClimb lobby had lockers in which you could store personal items while you were on the climb. If I had had my camera with me before or after my bridge climb, I would have taken photos of and at the Pylon Lookout, especially since I got a free ticket there, compliments of BridgeClimb. I also would have taken photos of the wall displaying the photos of all the celebrities who did the climb, especially since the celebrities on the wall are much more famous than the ones they show on the site … though I’ll admit Will Ferrell and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) are pretty big.

But I didn’t bring my camera, so all I have from that day are the photos the climb leader took of me and my group. At the end of the climb, they sell you copies of the photos (on CD if you like), and they give you a certificate and a group photo to commemorate the climb.

Here’s my group, by the way:

The woman next to me, with the cap? It was her birthday that day. She was 40-something, and someone gifted her with a BridgeClimb ticket. She’d been living in Sydney at least 20 years, and that was the first time she ever climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The first time!

Jeez. I grew up in San Diego from the tender age of five, and before I was an adult, I’d been to San Diego Zoo, The Wild Animal Park, Sea World, Seaport Village, Old Town, Balboa Park, and I don’t know how many other local attractions countless of times.

How can anyone live in Sydney and not do BridgeClimb?

So at the end of the climb, I bought myself a t-shirt and a teddy bear dressed in a jumpsuit similar to the one I wore. Then I walked around Sydney and later hailed a cab back to Darling Harbour, where I caught Wild Safari 3D at the IMAX theater I mentioned above. It was beautiful!

And when I got back to the hotel, I received a message at the reception desk from the two widow ladies I met at Ayers Rock. They had just got in the city after touring gorgeous Cannes and were booked at the same hotel.

So I spent my very last evening in Australia having hot tea and crackers with two Scottish widows in their hotel room. Afterwards, it was back to my hotel room, to pack for my long plane trip back the next day.

And that, finally, is the end of my Oz travelogue.

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