The Construction of Sydney Harbour Bridge 

One of the men in this film might be my Great Uncle, Sydney Edward Addison. He immigrated from the U.K. to Australia by boat in the 1920's and worked on the bridge as an ironworker. Sadly, his spanner slipped and he fell to his death. Today, he's memorialised on a plaque next to the bridge as 1 of the 16 men who died while building the bridge.

Those workmen deserved to be greeted as Royalty, they should have been wearing those medals and arriving in limousines. Those politicians took all the praise, but the true heroes are those hard working men who risked their lives to build that beautiful bridge.

My father was a Tool & Die Maker, Machinist & Journeyman Maintenance Machinist, he was old school with a depression mentality (throw nothing away) and also did plumbing, electrical, carpentry, HVAC. When he passed in 2016 he left me all his tools & machines. Guys like him were master craftsmen who could do anything with their hands and the right tool.

This is an excellent document of the precision and extraordinary effort required to build something of this magnitude. I'm a mechanical engineer and appreciate much of what was done here. Thanks for posting this.

Great film! Manual engineering, and hard manual labour, before computers and automated equipment. Satisfying to watch. Admiring the workers who gave an honest day's work.....and weren't constantly on their cellphones taking selfies and stealing time from the company.

I visited Sydney about 15 years ago and one of the highlights of my trip was doing 'The Bridge Climb'. Had my photo taken with the Opera House in the background and that photo still has pride of place on my sideboard. I adored Sydney and always wanted to go back but my health won't let me make the flight nowadays (I'm in the UK). Have always told my nieces and nephews Australia was the place to go when they finished their education. A great country and a great work ethic which rewards those who make an effort.

Now THIS is a documentary which should serve as example HOW a documentary should be recorded and edited. As opposed to today's common format where 10 seconds historical scenes are shown, interspersed with series of interviews with experts, witnesses or neighbors.

A true Australian treasure! Timelessly beautiful, something all Aussies should be proud of.

Admiration and congratulations to Australia. You do build wonderful things. The Sidney Opera House is especially noteworthy. Good wishes from Arizona.

My grandfather was the policeman 2nd to right of De Groot ... real cops then. Tall , fit and took no shit

From here in the States we say you Aussies are quite the quality workmanship people! Congratulations and best of luck!

Thank you so much for uploading this. I found it extremely interesting. I grew up in Kirribilli and often walked across the bridge as a child. I have lived in Europe for the last 40+ years and whenever I go to Australia and we drive across the bridge I feel "at home".

My grandfather was a merchant sailor from Cardiff and his ship was one of the many that took the metalwork (made from steel made in the Northeast) out to Sydney. I have his gold pocket watch given to him on completion of his apprenticeship in 1918. Very proud to be connected to the bridge in this very small way.

Walked the Bridge in 1967, with my new-born Aussie daughter. Happy memories. Good on you cobber! Here's raising a schooner....to Australia.

OMG this is what you call hard work! God bless to all those who survived and lost their lives building this massive beautiful and hard structure bridge, which still stands tall like it was only built yesterday! Great workmanship!

I am a Singaporean. I think the harbour bridge is more of a symbol of Australia. Bunch of Aussies came together and built this engineering marvel.

Thank you so much for putting this fantastic film on RU-vid. I am 82 years of age and was born in New South Wales and lived in Sydney for many years. My mother, I remember her telling me when I was a boy, that she watched the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as a young working girl in an office in North Sydney, it certainly brings back memories of the time that I used to also work in the city, as a young person and crossing it in the train every day. I'm sure many of the Sydney historians will love to be made aware of this wonderful film. Thank you again.

These men are brave as hell

The poor guy inside the beam holding the head of the rivets must have been deaf after 2 days in this hole, not counting the heat.

Amazing 😊 I loved this so much. It’s almost 100 years old now. I bet they have a bridge walk for it’s 100th birthday. I wanna be there 😊. The other day as we were driving over the bridge, I noticed it’s getting rusty. Some one needs to repaint it asap if we want to preserve it

Amazing video, a joy to watch. Thanks for putting this up!

my uncle and auntie lived at milsons point overlooking lavender bay and he used to tell us stories of the bridge being built he could see everything from his front veranda and we would listen awe struck at what he would tell us. i miss my auntie and uncle and i miss those good old days

Why people gotta give hate about Sydney! I live here! Sydney is the best!!! So is Australia

Incredible video, thank you for posting. According to the IEAust (Ch.Eng) the rivets alone (disregarding the cross struts, and arch material) on the arch carry 26,000 long tons of lateral compression on the top chord, and 15,000 tons or tensile potential on the bottom chord. And even though the cables have been relaxed to allow the arch to settle, they still carry 15,000 tons of tensile potential strength, as well as providing a moment of rigidity. *_IEA_* _The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a remarkable, and outstanding example of engineering brilliance and complexity, and even in the 21st Century, still stands as one of the world's engineering wonders._ _Using new, and untried construction design elements, novel materials, and alloys, and new concrete mixing technology which was unheard of at the time, it is a shining example of genial imagination and vision._ Hear, hear.

It's amazing how they built things back then when there was no cement trucks, high tech computers to do calculations, no safety wires, or heavy machines other than those cranes that weigh more than they can carry to do this type of work. Men were real men back then, and some men are a bit weak compared to the marvels they were able to accomplish with nothing more than an idea, muscles and a shovel.

This is a great document, impressive memory from the 80 year old Mr Frank Lichfield narrating his memories for the original film. My most heartfelt regards go to those who were forced out of their homes to accommodate progress for this, our beautiful national icon, these were mainly poor working class areas & many had little to no compensation for their dwellings being demolished, though a few were actually offered work as a means to placate them, especially as a lot of the work happened during the height of the depression. This is a fitting testament to all those who were part of designing & building the bridge, their blood, sweat & tears can now be remembered. Bravo fellas.

It's amazing how it keeps it's age ! Probably the most gorgeous bridge in the world ! Thank you David great footage

bring this guys to Germany, to finish the Berlin Brandenburg Airport !

I loved this vid...thanks for putting this on u-tube.those where the days when men took pride in their work and made things too last.

You picked this up at a flea market (one yards away from the subject) and then put it on RU-vid? Why thank you, World Citizen David.

Not long ago I drove interstate coaches, my Backpacking passengers were always amazed by the beauty and size of the bridge

I have this on VHS. Purchased from the Harbour Bridge Climb shop many, many years ago. Obviously it was made available on DVD. And yes, it deserves to be seen by more people.

Thank you for this..absolutely loved watching it..such a fascinating story :-)

Incredible how the workers were confidently walking the steel planks without any safety harnesses.

It's just boggles my mind how they can line up two giant structures of that scale and weight to meet in the middle with the technology they had in those days. I've stood many times staring at the sheer size of the bottom hinges, and it's immense. To caculate the weight and position back in those days just boggles my mind.

This is a wonderful well edited beautiful documentary, thank you for posting and for all the work in compiling such great footage…. from Canada 🇨🇦…. I’ve been and done the BridgeWalk which offered great views of the entire city… what I noticed most was the lack of the Opera house in the background it is fascinating to see into the past.

Sadly this is the best piece of Infrastructure Sydney will ever see!!

Your videos are a breath of fresh air in a crowded online space. Keep shining!

What a fantastic effort by all, this is a wonderful achievement and would be even in the 21st Century let alone in the early years of the last. Such brave and talented workers hopefully never fogotten, and the planning and setting up are stupendous. Thanks for sharing this historic film.

Slide rule engineering at its finest.

The video is called "The Construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge" and was made by the Institution of Engineers, Australia. Sydney Division. It was later released on a DVD. The film was made by photographer Henri Mallard from 1930 onwards and was silent. One of the supervising engineers during the construction, Frank Litchfield, added the commentary in 1969 when he was 80. Check Wikipedia for "Through Arch Bridge". In order of completion good examples are: Hell Gate Bridge, NYC finished 1917 Almost identical to the Sydney Harbour Bridge except it is smaller. It carries three rail lines. The SHB "designer" Bradfield went to see the Hell Gate Bridge soon after its completion. The Tyne Bridge built by Dorman Long was finished in 1928. Despite common belief, the Tyne Bridge was not a "prototype" for the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It carries four lanes of traffic as well as footpaths. The Bayonne Bridge connecting New Jersey and Staten Island was completed in 1931. I don't know how many lanes of traffic it carries. It was to have pillars or pylons at each end, like the Hell Gate and SHB, but money ran out. On the Hell Gate Bridge and SHB the lower section of the pylons help support the roadway. The upper sections are purely cosmetic, in fact on the SHB one of the pylons houses a museum and a steel staircase enables people to reach the viewing area at the top of the pylon. The Sydney Harbour Bridge was completed in 1932 and also built by Dorman Long. It originally carried two rail lines, two tram lines and four lanes of traffic. When trams ceased operation in Sydney they added another two traffic lanes instead, making six. Later they narrowed the four lanes on the main deck to make six. So now it carries two rail lines and eight traffic lanes as well as bike and pedestrian pathways. There are "tidal changes" on the bridge to help accommodate morning and evening rush hours. The Harbour Tunnel roughly follows the path of the bridge and has four lanes, two in each direction. There are plans to add a third harbour crossing nearby. As for my interest in all of this. I was born and brought up in Newcastle on Tyne. I married a girl from Sydney whose grandfather was the General Works Manager on the SHB, employed by Dorman Long.

Great work David and thanks for this video, a true piece of Australian history. Well done for picking it up at the flea market;-)

Wonderful piece of engineering, entering it's 90th year of service next March 2022. Excellent documentary film.

Im quite fond of the old Australia & the way this country & people once was.

I went there in the 1960's by my self, when I was 10. There were lots of stairs to climb up and there were lots of cats about the place. I think the cats were kept by the staff, the watchmen staff, (not painters) some of whom may have been there for a long long time, as pets. . There was a small museum to the opening of the Bridge and displays of artifacts used in the building, close-ups of the materials. There were notices throughout the displays that compared The Sydney Harbour Bridge with The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, USA and some other smaller still bridges, worldwide. . The place was dimly lit and there was a look out with telescopes at the top of the South Eastern pylon, the only one open to the public for viewing; there were more cats about up there too. . The overall display at the Bridge, in those days, in my opinion even then, at ten years of age experience, was poor, as though it was an afterthought of only one man's thinking. There was a charge, for me only about threepence; the idea of income was probably the only reason that the "museum" and viewing area operating, even though not much money would have been taken. It was a poor man's viewing area. . The newly opened 26 floor skyscraper, The AMP building on Alfred Street Circular Quay, had already been in operation, soon after in 1971 Australia Square Summit Restaurant and observation deck opened. . Bridge Pylon, not popular after that. . Cheers. from, del-boy

This country is not even a mere image of what it was back then

Built by Doorman Long, Middlesbrough, England. My hometown!

Hope I can visit that magnificent piece of engineering one day personally.

Wonderful piece of history. Thank you David Male. I'll bet many of the locals were a bit sad to see the trolley tracks covered over to make way for vehicle traffic, having many memories of using it for much of their lives.

Owing to the time period and the abilities of mechanical equipment, this was quite an accomplishment for the engineers and workmen. This was indeed quite a feat!

A truly memorable and interesting video...and a tribute to Australia and the men who built this truly iconic world famous bridge....Thanks for the download.

gem, and thats coming from a melbournian

My aunty Myrtle, who passed away in 2016, told me that her photo of walking across the bridge with the public was printed in the Sydney newspaper. I must visit the archives to find a copy. A magnificent public works effort. Should be more of such nation building projects.

I worked Security on the bridge for a few years, we were taught a bit about the bridge and when I watched this, everything and more fell into place. It was the best office in town. Love the old girl.

Such a marvel of engineering and construction! The most thrilling archival footage of construction that I’ve ever seen. I could watch this for days. Thanks for the excellent video.

Guys riding on girders being hoisted, no tie offs, zero PPE's to be seen, cigarettes hanging out of mouths...Oh boy, those were the days.

My grandfather worked on this project, plus the Snowy Mountain project back in the day. It is a beautiful bridge.

So many OH&S issues! Cant see much of that happening today. Im surprised more workers didn't fall.

Great video thanks for sharing.

Such an interesting documentary on building Sydney Harbour Bridge, Amazing, No saftey gear ,So much construction done with bare hands,,couldnt believe what I was looking at,,, thank you ,,😢AMAZING ngaira Brocas

I’m amazed at the accomplishments of those men of that era! I suspect that this same project could not be duplicated today without modern technology by today’s workforces (let alone for a nearly comparable price range, even allowing for inflation). And can you imagine the eagerness of those workers in that time! Thank you for this video!❤

Thanks so much for sharing that piece of history .

Such a wonderful resource to have. Thank you so much for sharing this.

Great documentary. A time long gone now - a time when Australians built things.

Built from Steel from North Yorkshire and designed here too then shipped out to Aus. Its a worldwide icon to this day.

Thanks for uploading this - so interesting and well worth watching.

Boss: Safety Advisor, get up there and do a site safety check. Safety Advisor: I quit.

My nan crossed the bridge the day it opened.

What an amazingly technical construction for the age. No computers then, just slide rulers.

What is amazing documentary about one of great brides in world. Technology wasn’t developed. But Genius people were there.

I can't believe those men used opened-end spanners to torque at such an height. I salute their confidence and courage

Even though it was uploaded 12 years ago, it's still a great film :)

nice video! my Dad was one year old when it opened!

great video to see how work was performed in the old days , I wish I could have been there to watch it being made . my fathers father was a stone mascent on the bridge .

Something that has always impressed me about the bridge was that it was designed to accommodate traffic years beyond what would have been the present volume. To construct something of that magnitude in that era with the technology that was available at the time is truly magnificent. These days, it seems that they only build roads, highways, bridges and tunnels to take the present day volume without thought for the future. This has been proven time and again in Australian cities.

well done, engineers, fabricators, manual workers, amazing structure,

Bradfield was a mastermind, he should be honoured as an eternal patron of Sydney, a revolutionary light years ahead of his time!

Awesome Program. Thank you for the upload. Great to see our heritage Watching from Australia.

Impressive construction but we need to ask would it get 🌈✔ ?

It's a History and a glory moment to watch this video. Thanks for the video.

Where's Paul Hogan??

Very interesting and informative. As per the date, it was made for the 75th anniversary, so my guess is 2007.

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great video David , thankyou for showing it , my grandfather was a stone mascent for the bridge .

A very high quality documentary. Enjoyed the trip back through history. Thanks David, for posting.

Fantastic video thank you We Australians are the envy of the world with our heritage and the way we live

Very cool, what a great flea market find! Thank you for sharing that.

These days the Chinese would get this contract and it would be shipped on a barge to site.

this is worth my time.. thanks for posting!

my teeth were clenched watching this, all those men 450ft up, on a slender cable

USAmerican spelling "harbor" at one point in subtitles rather than Oz spelling "harbour"

One good part of being in construction. You get some sense of pride or accomplishment when you pass by a job that you were a part of. I feel lucky and it's nice to teach my kids about the experience.

Thank you for uploading, great work. Quite amazing for early years....

This is a miraculous piece of architecture. My mum worked across it when she was a girl. We’ve all driven across it

Great job engineering at its best one day I hope to see it myself

I am from Melbourne and I am amazed at the planning that went into this bridge, but safety of the day was a bit scarce, workers walking along girders with no safety harness looked a bit dangerous. It is truly an engineering marvel. Great Video.............

Hi David, thanks for sharing this interesting video. The Sydney Harbour Bridge has always been one of my favourite places in Sydney. As a child, I travelled across the bridge by tram on the eastern side of the bridge prior to the system closing in 1958. I have also been across the bridge by train, bus and walking by foot. I often wonder how much damage is caused by the fireworks exploded on it each new year. My grandfather took photos of the Harbour Bridge as it was being built. All the very best. Robert.

How did the bridge support all of the iron testicles of the mad lads that built it? Truly an engineering marvel.

thanks for this video it was the universes best video i have ever seen i enjoyed it moved me in lots of places wow and all those hard workers

A really excellent presentation, thanks👌👌👌👌👏👏👏👏👏