One of Australia’s most famous landmarks and treasured icons is turning 85 years old today: The Sydney Harbour Bridge!
Lovingly referred to by many as ‘the coat hanger’ the bridge was officially opened on this day in 1932 after nearly a decade of labour.
The bridge offered prime opportunity for employment during the Great Depression, when many of its workers were paid as little as four pounds a week.
Workers used 52,800 tonnes of steel and 272,000 litres of paint for the bridge’s first three coats and carefully compiled each section to perfection.
Safety measures were extraordinarily lax at the time, so workers were sent to build and paint the bridge without a harness in sight.
Sixteen men died during construction of the bridge, with two falling to their death.
In honour of the special anniversary, the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia released footage taken in the 1950s, when fearless men climbed atop the mountain of steel to repaint it.
Without a harness or safety measure in sight, the men clambered over every inch of the bridge to paint it that famous grey.
Take a look and tell us your Harbour Bridge story!