An unexpectedly sunny Saturday was all the encouragement we needed to head to the city and do the walk across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is so wonderful to have one of our city’s most recognisable attractions accessible to all. In case you’ve wondered whether the Sydney Harbour Bridge is wheelchair accessible, I thought I’d share what you need to know to take a walk or wheel yourself.
Sydney Harbour Bridge – wheelchair access
In 2018 the Sydney Harbour Bridge became wheelchair accessible with lift access provided at the northern end in Kirribilli and the southern end in the city. It was a momentous day seeing such an iconic landmark become accessible to all with the walk across the harbour finally wheelchair accessible.
We decided to start the 1.6km walk from the city side of the bridge where we parked right at the entrance in Cumberland Street.
Large lifts provide plenty of room for the ride to the top where a walkway leads onto the Harbour Bridge.
We find it a fairly gentle gradient for Braeden’s wheelchair and the path is nice and wide allowing for foot traffic in both directions to pass easily.
The views of the Sydney Harbour are spectacular all the way across.
Braeden had good views through the gaps in the wire from his wheelchair. This is one place where being seated is an advantage with the gap seemingly perfectly positioned for Braeden.
This isn’t a quiet walk with multiple lanes of traffic running alongside the pathway and trains passing on the other side of the bridge but the water views made up for it for us.
It probably goes without saying, but just in case it isn’t apparent, there are no toilets along the way and there are only a couple of benches to take a rest if you are walking.
We didn’t have a lot of time up our sleeve so we simply did the round trip. If you wanted to explore Kirribilli I will warn it is hilly and better suited to power wheelchair users or those with power assist. From the bridge to the waterfront in Kirribilli is a breeze going downhill but I wouldn’t want to be pushing back up the hill in a manual chair.
If you are visiting Sydney, or you are a local that hasn’t ventured across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, I highly recommend doing so. It is a lovely walk with rewarding views and we just love that our Harbour Bridge is wheelchair accessible.
