70th birthday gift voucher – Jennifer + Noel 16.05.23

The 70th birthday gift voucher was given to Noel from his family. Today they did the 1 hour 3 Bridges trike tour using the gift voucher. We are flexible in the route so if you give someone a Gift Voucher for a certain route and they would like to do see somewhere else, that’s quite ok by us. https://www.trolltours.com.au/product/three-bridges-trike-tour/ There are two options for the 3 Bridges. Usually we go along part of the bay run in the Inner West. Sometimes, like today, instead of doing that, we go over the Iron Cove Bridge which actually makes it the 4 Bridges tour plus some little bridges.

Our trike rider picked them up at Circular Quay. We email a map and directions of exactly where to meet. Before he had even arrived back, we received this email:

Testimonial

Hi Katrina,

Just letting you know and thanking you for a wonderful day and a beautiful day to do a ride.

Fred drove us around the historic places and of course the three bridges.

We had an enjoyable and fun morning.

Regards…..Jennifer

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Firstly, they rode through the city and over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We always tell our passenger to look up and enjoy the unique view. The more than 6,000,000 rivets are so interesting and the arch is so iconic. It’s nicknamed ‘The Coathanger’ because of its arch-based design. It is the largest steel arch bridge in the world.

This bridge is the eighth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 m (440 ft) from top to water level. It was also the world’s widest long-span bridge, at 48.8 m (160 ft) wide, until construction of the new Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver was completed in 2012.

Kirribilli

Next, they rode past Kirribilli House. Kirribilli House is the secondary official residence of the Prime Minister of Australia. After that, they rode around the corner to Jeffrey Street Wharf. From here, the views across Sydney Harbour towards the Sydney Opera House and the CBD are magnificent. In addition, it also has an up-close view of the side and underneath of the bridge. A perfect place to stop for photos.

The Kirribilli Loop

They rode under the north side of the bridge and continued on their tour. The underside of the northern end of the SHB – Sydney Harbour Bridge – is very interesting. The Kirribilli Loop was finished by riding past Luna Park and the North Sydney Olympic Pool.

They continued riding on through North Sydney and Crows Nest before joining River Road. It is a fun road to ride on. River Road leads to Burns Bay Road which, in turn, leads to another bridge but not one of the main three. So far, the 70th birthday gift voucher trike tour was a great experience.

Fig Tree Bridge, Tarban Creek Bridge, Gladesville Bridge

The Fig Tree Bridge opened in 1963 and spans the Lane Cove River. After that bridge, they continued on and crossed the second of the bridges Tarban Creek Bridge. This spans Tarban Creek, likewise, it has nice views east to the Harbour Bridge. Then they got to bridge #2 of the main 3 Bridges, the Gladesville Bridge. It has wonderful views along Parramatta River towards the Harbour Bridge and the city.

This bridge is on the main arterial thoroughfare of Victoria Road. They travelled along for a short while before turning off into the inner west suburb of Drummoyne. Following the shoreline of Iron Cove, which is part of the Parramatta River, they saw some lovely water views. It is part of the 7 km long Bay Run.

Iron Cove Bridge

The Iron Cove Bridge is a heritage-listed road bridge that carries traffic across Iron Cove (a bay). The bridge was officially opened by the on 30 July 1955. It replaced a bridge which opened in 1882 and parts of the original bridge are still being used today – because of their good resistance to corrosion, all nine of the 1882 bridge’s 38.5-metre (126 ft) spans are in current use in three bridges on country roads in the central west of NSW.

The bridge has aesthetically distinctive piers and abutments which reflect the Inter-War Art Deco style. Furthermore, it was the last steel truss bridge to be constructed in New South Wales in which rivets were used for field connections prior to the introduction of high strength bolts. We love this bridge.

ANZAC Bridge

Our favourite bridge is the ANZAC Bridge. We think it is incredible, a work of art and design. It is main bridge #3. Similarly, it is also great to see without a roof over your head inhibiting the view.

Most noteworthy, the stay cable design concept development and final design for the new bridge were carried out by the Roads & Traffic Authority of NSW. Finally, the bridge was opened to traffic on 03 December 1995 as the Glebe Island Bridge.

The bridge was given its current name on Remembrance Day in 1998 to honour the memory of the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (known as Anzacs) who served in World War I.

However, the 1 hour was up so Fred dropped them back at Cirular Quay. In conclusion, the 70th birthday gift voucher trike tour was a big success and a lot of fun and a huge surprise. Even though are locals, they saw so much that the average traveller to Sydney, or most locals, doesn’t.