Tourism heavyweights vie for Sydney Harbour Bridge climbing rights

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This was published 6 years ago

Tourism heavyweights vie for Sydney Harbour Bridge climbing rights

By Matt O'Sullivan
Updated

A list of high-profile tourism and entertainment operators are vying to break the two-decade grip of a company founded by Sydney entrepreneur Paul Cave on the right to lead thousands of people over the Sydney Harbour Bridge each year.

And with companies that include Zipline Australia, some novel ideas could be in store for tourists on Australia's famed coathanger.

Blue Mountains' Scenic World, Dreamworld owner Ardent Leisure and the operators of Luna Park are among the dozen companies challenging the incumbent BridgeClimb, whose wealthy owners include billionaires Jack Cowin and Brett Blundy.

The heavyweight among the competing bidders is Merlin Entertainments, which is the world's second-largest operator of theme parks after Disney.

More than three million people have climbed the bridge since 1998.

More than three million people have climbed the bridge since 1998.Credit: Geoff Jones

Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Merlin runs the Wild Life Zoo at Darling Harbour, the skywalk atop Sydney Tower and the Manly aquarium.

Roads and Maritime Services, the government authority that oversees the Australian landmark, recently put out to tender the "Sydney Harbour Bridge tourist climb business", which includes a museum within the south eastern pylon.

The roads authority said it could not disclose any information about the ideas floated by the businesses because the tender process was still active.

However, the companies vying for the tender will be limited in the thrills they can offer tourists because of the Harbour Bridge's tight security and safety requirements.

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A man rides an 800-metre zip line from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

A man rides an 800-metre zip line from the second floor of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.Credit: AP

This is understood to rule out stringing zip lines from the bridge, despite an 800-metre line temporarily being strung from the Eiffel Tower in Paris recently to give adrenaline junkies a thrill.

The other businesses to have shown an interest in the bridge include the operator of Anytime Fitness and golf and sports club company Belgravia Leisure.

Zipline Australia gained approval early this year to operate a zip line beside Cairns' Skyrail gondola. The two brothers behind the company, Michael and Matthew Thompson, operate a popular zip line in Vanuatu.

Michael Thompson, who has 20 years of engineering and military experience, said he could not comment on what his company was proposing due to a non-disclosure agreement.

However, he said it was not proposing a zip line from the bridge.

Merlin, Scenic World and Ardent Leisure also declined to elaborate on their proposals due to confidentiality reasons.

Roads and Maritime has said it expects the new contract to be for a period of 20 years, while the terms of operation would be "determined with the successful tenderer".

Charging up to $378 for a ticket to scale the bridge's southern arches, BridgeClimb has been highly profitable for its owners. The company delivered almost $20 million in payouts to them in a little over a year.

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Since it began guiding people over the arches in 1998, more than three million people have climbed the Harbour Bridge.

BridgeClimb's most recent accounts shows it pays about $1.9 million a year to the government for the use of the bridge.

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