The Hon. Carl Scully MP, Minister for Roads, officially opened the refurbished Pylon Lookout and new exhibition today at a launch held inside the South-East Pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge….
The Hon. Carl Scully MP, Minister for Roads, officially opened the refurbished Pylon Lookout and new exhibition today at a launch held inside the South-East Pylon of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The ceremony was attended by VIP guests including Paul Cave, BridgeClimb Chairman and Founder, as well as by members of the family of Dr JJC Bradfield – Chief Engineer and Father of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Minister Scully officially opened the Lookout with a ribbon cutting ceremony, using the original scissors from the Harbour Bridge`s grand opening in 1932.
During the official proceedings Philip & Kathryn Bradfield presented Paul Cave with a sterling silver casket. This item was originally bestowed upon Dr JJC Bradfield to commemorate the laying of the first foundation stone of the Bridge. The intricately decorated casket has been loaned to the Pylon Lookout by the Bradfield family and will be displayed within the exhibition.
The Pylon Lookout exhibition showcases items from the 5000 piece Cave Collection of Sydney Harbour Bridge memorabilia (loaned by Paul Cave) and features displays detailing the history of the Harbour Bridge and those who were involved in it`s construction. In addition visitors can see rare photographs taken during the construction of the Bridge and an audio visual feature that tells the story of the Bridge.
BridgeClimb has carried out the refurbishment with $3 million of capital works and a 5-year development process in partnership with the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW.
The Pylon Lookout first opened in 1934 as a tourist venue and in the 1940`s it was home to the Australian Military Forces as part of Australia`s WW2 defence program before being converted back to an exhibition in the 1950`s. Mrs Rentoul and her White Cats inhabited and ran the Pylon until the early 1970`s, when the Pylon was closed to the public for over a decade. The Pylon Lookout was re-opened in 1982 to celebrate the Bridge`s 50th Anniversary.
The Pylon Lookout is open 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm (except Christmas Day). General Admission is $8.50, children aged from 8 to 12 are $3 while admission for children 7 years or younger is free. Access is via the Bridge stairs in Cumberland Street to the pedestrian pathway.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.