Editing Sydney Harbour Bridge (section)

==History==
===Early proposals===
[[File:Sydney harbour Bridge 1857 SLNSW FL6257399.jpg|thumb|Proposed bridge from near Dawe's Point, Sydney, 1857]]
[[File:Sydney Harbour Bridge designs submitted, 1900.gif|thumb|upright|Sketches of designs submitted when tenders were called for a harbour crossing in 1900]]
[[File:Ernest Stowe Proposed Sydney Harbour Bridge.jpg|thumb|alt=Sydney Harbour Bridge design proposed by Ernest Stowe|Three-span bridge linking [[Millers Point]] with [[Balls Head Reserve|Balls Head]] and [[Balmain, New South Wales|Balmain]], proposed by Ernest Stowe in 1922]]
There had been plans to build a bridge as early as 1814, when [[Convicts in Australia|convict]] and noted architect [[Francis Greenway]] reputedly proposed to Governor [[Lachlan Macquarie]] that a bridge be built from the northern to the southern shore of the harbour.<ref name=culture.gov /><ref name="shb-archives37">{{cite web|title=Archives In Brief 37 – A brief history of the Sydney Harbour Bridge|url=http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/guides-and-finding-aids/archives-in-brief/archives-in-brief-37/|work=The State Archives|publisher=NSW Government|access-date=26 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218203227/http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/guides-and-finding-aids/archives-in-brief/archives-in-brief-37|archive-date=18 February 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1825, Greenway wrote a letter to the then "[[The Australian (1824 newspaper)|The Australian]]" newspaper stating that such a bridge would "give an idea of strength and magnificence that would reflect credit and glory on the colony and the Mother Country".<ref name="shb-archives37" />

Nothing came of Greenway's suggestions, but the idea remained alive, and many further suggestions were made during the nineteenth century. In 1840, naval architect Robert Brindley proposed that a [[Pontoon bridge|floating bridge]] be built. Engineer Peter Henderson produced one of the earliest known drawings of a bridge across the harbour around 1857. A suggestion for a [[truss bridge]] was made in 1879, and in 1880 a high-level bridge estimated at £850,000 was proposed.<ref name="shb-archives37" />

In 1900, the [[Lyne ministry|Lyne government]] committed to building a new [[Central railway station, Sydney|Central railway station]] and organised a worldwide competition for the design and construction of a harbour bridge, overseen by Minister for Public Works [[Edward William O'Sullivan]].<ref>{{cite web |title=A Short History of the Sydney Harbour Bridge |url=https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/documents/about/environment/protecting-heritage/harbour-bridge-history.pdf |website=Transport NSW |access-date=17 March 2022 |archive-date=18 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220318082813/https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/documents/about/environment/protecting-heritage/harbour-bridge-history.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Edward Cruttwell|G.E.W. Cruttwell]], a [[London]] based engineer, was awarded the first prize of £1,000. Local engineer [[Norman Selfe]] submitted a design for a [[suspension bridge]] and won the second prize of £500. In 1902, when the outcome of the first competition became mired in controversy, Selfe won a second competition outright, with a design for a steel [[cantilever bridge]]. The selection board were unanimous, commenting that, "The structural lines are correct and in true proportion, and... the outline is graceful".<ref name="Freyne">{{cite book |title= Norman Selfe, Man of the North Shore|last= Arthur|first= Ian |year= 2001|publisher=unpublished essay submitted for the North Shore History Prize|pages=21–24}} Cited in {{cite web|url = http://www.dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/selfe_norman|title = Selfe, Norman|last = Freyne|first = Catherine|year = 2009|work = [[Dictionary of Sydney]]|access-date = 26 May 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120624064441/http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/selfe_norman|archive-date = 24 June 2012|url-status = live|df = dmy-all}}</ref> However due to an economic downturn and a change of government at the [[1904 New South Wales state election|1904 NSW State election]] construction never began.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ellmoos and Murray |date=2015 |title=Building the Sydney Harbour Bridge {{!}} The Dictionary of Sydney |url=https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/building_the_sydney_harbour_bridge#:~:text=A%20design%20by%20the%20Sydney-based%20engineer,Norman%20Selfe%20was%20announced%20the%20winner.&text=A%20design%20by%20the,was%20announced%20the%20winner.&text=by%20the%20Sydney-based%20engineer,Norman%20Selfe%20was%20announced |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=dictionaryofsydney.org}}</ref>

A unique three-span bridge was proposed in 1922 by Ernest Stowe with connections at [[Balls Head Reserve|Balls Head]], [[Millers Point]], and [[Balmain, New South Wales|Balmain]] with a memorial tower and hub on [[Goat Island (Port Jackson)|Goat Island]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Design Tenders and Proposals|url=http://sydney-harbour-bridge.bostes.nsw.edu.au/building-the-bridge/design-tenders-and-proposals.php|publisher=NSW Government|access-date=3 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911105231/http://sydney-harbour-bridge.bostes.nsw.edu.au/building-the-bridge/design-tenders-and-proposals.php|archive-date=11 September 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=McCallum|first1=Jake|title=Rare plans for the Sydney Harbour Bridge show how the iconic landmark could have looked|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/the-hills/lifeline-to-auction-off-plans-for-the-sydney-harbour-bridge-after-donation-of-rare-documents/news-story/81d30d48e90ca6e90b05c41136f3d46b|access-date=3 September 2016|work=Hornsby Advocate|publisher=News Corp Australia|date=8 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819131504/http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/the-hills/lifeline-to-auction-off-plans-for-the-sydney-harbour-bridge-after-donation-of-rare-documents/news-story/81d30d48e90ca6e90b05c41136f3d46b|archive-date=19 August 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Planning===
In 1914, [[John Bradfield (engineer)|John Bradfield]] was appointed Chief Engineer of Sydney Harbour Bridge and Metropolitan Railway Construction, and his work on the project over many years earned him the legacy as the father of the bridge.<ref name="pl-jb" /> Bradfield's preference at the time was for a [[cantilever bridge]] without piers, and in 1916 the [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly|NSW Legislative Assembly]] passed a bill for such a construction, however it did not proceed as the [[New South Wales Legislative Council|Legislative Council]] rejected the legislation on the basis that the money would be better spent on the war effort.<ref name=shb-archives37 />

Following [[World War I]], plans to build the bridge again built momentum.<ref name=culture.gov/> Bradfield persevered with the project, fleshing out the details of the specifications and financing for his cantilever bridge proposal, and in 1921 he travelled overseas to investigate tenders. His confidential secretary [[Kathleen M. Butler]] handled all the international correspondence during his absence, her title belying her role as project manager as well as a technical adviser.<ref>{{Cite news|date=28 February 1924|title=THE BRIDGE DESIGNER AND HIS SECRETARY|page=10|work=Sydney Morning Herald|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16128932|access-date=28 December 2020|archive-date=24 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924095437/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16128932|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=5 December 1924|title=International Woman Suffrage News|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002219/19241205/038/0011|access-date=28 December 2020|via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref> On return from his travels Bradfield decided that an arch design would also be suitable<ref name=shb-archives37 /> and he and officers of the NSW Department of Public Works prepared a general design<ref name=culture.gov /> for a single-arch bridge based upon [[New York City]]'s [[Hell Gate Bridge]].<ref name=bridging-sydney /><ref name=repaint-rta>{{cite web|url=http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects/resources/documents/permanent_panels/sydney_harbour_bridge.pdf|title=Sydney Harbour Bridge repainting|publisher=[[Roads & Traffic Authority]]|access-date=1 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713090933/http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects/resources/documents/permanent_panels/sydney_harbour_bridge.pdf|archive-date=13 July 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1922 the government of [[George Fuller (Australian politician)|George Fuller]] passed the ''Sydney Harbour Act 1922'', specifying the construction of a high-level cantilever or arch bridge across the Harbour between Dawes Point and Milsons Point, along with construction of necessary approaches and electric railway lines,<ref name=shb-archives37 /> and worldwide [[Request for tender|tender]]s were invited for the project.<ref name=pl-jb />
[[File:Norman Selfe proposal for Sydney Harbour Bridge.jpg|thumb|left|[[Norman Selfe]]'s winning design at the second competition {{circa|1903}}]]
[[File:Hell Gate Bridge cricket.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Hell Gate Bridge]] in [[New York City]] inspired the final design of Sydney Harbour Bridge.]]
[[File:Opening_of_Tenders_(Sydney_Harbour_Bridge)_(6352488398).jpg|thumb|left|Opening of Tenders January 1924. l-r: Seated T. B. Cooper, R. T. Ball. Standing: J. J. C. Bradfield, Kathleen Butler, Mr. Swift.]]
As a result of the tendering process, the government received twenty proposals from six companies; on 24 March 1924 the contract was awarded to [[Dorman Long|Dorman Long & Co]] of [[Middlesbrough]], England well known as the contractors who later built the similar [[Tyne Bridge]] in [[Newcastle Upon Tyne]], for an arch bridge at a quoted price of [[Australian pound|AU£]]4,217,721 11s 10d.<ref name=pl-jb /><ref name=shb-archives37 /> The arch design was cheaper than alternative cantilever and [[suspension bridge]] proposals, and also provided greater [[Stiffness|rigidity]] making it better suited for the heavy loads expected.<ref name=shb-archives37 /> In 1924, Kathleen Butler travelled to [[London]] to set up the project office within those of Dorman, Long & Co., "attending the most difficult and technical questions and technical questions in regard to the contract, and dealing with a mass of correspondence".<ref>{{cite web|date=10 October 1924|title=The Vote|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002186/19241010/008/0001|access-date=28 December 2020|via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]}}</ref>

Bradfield and his staff were ultimately to oversee the bridge design and building process as it was executed by Dorman Long and Co, whose Consulting Engineer, [[Ralph Freeman (1880-1950)|Sir Ralph Freeman]] of [[Douglas Fox (engineer)#Douglas Fox & Partners|Sir Douglas Fox and Partners]], and his associate Georges Imbault, carried out the detailed design and erection process of the bridge.<ref name=pl-jb /> Architects for the contractors were from the British firm [[John James Burnet|John Burnet & Partners]] of [[Glasgow]], Scotland.<ref name="glasgowsculpture"/> Lawrence Ennis, of Dorman Long, served as Director of Construction and primary onsite supervisor throughout the entire build, alongside Edward Judge, Dorman Long's Chief Technical Engineer, who functioned as Consulting and Designing Engineer.

The building of the bridge coincided with the construction of a system of underground railways beneath Sydney's CBD, known today as the [[City Circle]], and the bridge was designed with this in mind. The bridge was designed to carry six lanes of road traffic, flanked on each side by two railway tracks and a footpath. Both sets of rail tracks were linked into the underground [[Wynyard railway station, Sydney|Wynyard railway station]] on the south (city) side of the bridge by symmetrical ramps and tunnels. The eastern-side railway tracks were intended for use by a planned rail link to the [[Northern Beaches]];<ref>{{cite NSW HD|4800281|Wynyard Former Tram Tunnels|access-date=12 April 2019}}</ref> in the interim they were used to carry [[Trams in Sydney|trams]] from the North Shore into a terminal within Wynyard station, and when tram services were discontinued in 1958, they were converted into extra traffic lanes. The [[Bradfield Highway, Sydney|Bradfield Highway]], which is the main roadway section of the bridge and its approaches, is named in honour of Bradfield's contribution to the bridge.

===Construction===
[[File:Aerial view of Sydney Harbour - the bridge is under construction.jpg|thumb|Sydney Harbour Bridge under construction]]
[[File:Early construction, Sydney Harbour Bridge.jpg|thumb|right|The arch being constructed]]
[[File:Aerial view of Sydney and Circular Quay on the day of the official opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, 19 March, 1932 (6174053762).jpg|thumb|Southbound view on the day of the official opening, 19 March 1932]]
[[File:HMAS Canberra sailing into Sydney Harbour in 1930.jpg|thumb|[[HMAS Canberra (D33)|HMAS ''Canberra'']] sailing under the completed arch from which the deck is being suspended in 1930]]
Bradfield visited the site sporadically throughout the eight years it took Dorman Long to complete the bridge. Despite having originally championed a cantilever construction and the fact that his own arched general design was used in neither the tender process nor as input to the detailed design specification (and was anyway a rough copy of the Devil's Gate bridge produced by the NSW Works Department), Bradfield subsequently attempted to claim personal credit for Dorman Long's design. This led to a bitter argument, with Dorman Long maintaining that instructing other people to produce a copy of an existing design in a document not subsequently used to specify the final construction did not constitute personal design input on Bradfield's part. This friction ultimately led to a large contemporary brass plaque being bolted very tightly to the side of one of the granite columns of the bridge to makes things clear.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lalor |first=Peter |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/86108534 |title=The bridge : an epic story of an Australian icon - the Sydney Harbour Bridge |date=2006 |publisher=Allen & Unwin |isbn=978-1-74176-069-9 |location=Crows Nest |page=237 |oclc=86108534}}</ref>

The official ceremony to mark the [[Groundbreaking|turning of the first sod]] occurred on 28 July 1923, on the spot at Milsons Point where two workshops to assist in building the bridge were to be constructed.<ref name="bos-time">{{cite web|title=Six million rivets: The timeline|url=http://sydney-harbour-bridge.bos.nsw.edu.au/building-the-bridge/rivets.php|work=Sydney Harbour Bridge|publisher=NSW Government: Board of Studies|access-date=26 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110221151649/http://sydney-harbour-bridge.bos.nsw.edu.au/building-the-bridge/rivets.php|archive-date=21 February 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>North Shore Bridge ''[[Railway Gazette International|Railway Gazette]]'' 5 October 1923 page 417</ref>

An estimated 469 buildings on the north shore, both private homes and commercial operations, were demolished to allow construction to proceed, with little or no compensation being paid. Work on the bridge itself commenced with the construction of approaches and approach spans, and by September 1926 concrete piers to support the approach spans were in place on each side of the harbour.<ref name="bos-time" />

As construction of the approaches took place, work was also started on preparing the [[Foundation (engineering)|foundations]] required to support the enormous weight of the arch and loadings. Concrete and granite faced [[Abutment|abutment towers]] were constructed, with the angled foundations built into their sides.<ref name="bos-time" />

Once work had progressed sufficiently on the support structures, a giant [[Crane (machine)|creeper crane]] was erected on each side of the harbour.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Nicholson|first=John|title=Building the Sydney Harbour Bridge|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1DXydVvXi4EC|format=Google books|access-date=10 December 2009|year=2001|publisher=Allen & Unwin|isbn=978-1-86508-258-5|page=14|quote=There was one creeper crane on each side of the harbour.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101135121/https://books.google.com/books?id=1DXydVvXi4EC|archive-date=1 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> These cranes were fitted with a cradle, and then used to hoist men and materials into position to allow for erection of the steelwork. To stabilise works while building the arches, tunnels were excavated on each shore with [[Wire rope|steel cables]] passed through them and then fixed to the upper sections of each half-arch to stop them collapsing as they extended outwards.<ref name="bos-time" />

Arch construction itself began on 26 October 1928. The southern end of the bridge was worked on ahead of the northern end, to detect any errors and to help with alignment. The cranes would "creep" along the arches as they were constructed, eventually meeting up in the middle. In less than two years, on 19 August 1930, the two halves of the arch touched for the first time. Workers riveted both top and bottom sections of the arch together, and the arch became self-supporting, allowing the support cables to be removed. On 20 August 1930 the joining of the arches was celebrated by flying the flags of [[Flag of Australia|Australia]] and the [[Flag of the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]] from the jibs of the creeper cranes.<ref name="bos-time"/><ref>The Sydney Harbour Bridge ''Railway Gazette'' 18 March 1932 page 433</ref>

[[File:The bridge in curve 1926.jpg|thumb|left|[[Grace Cossington Smith]]'s painting of the arch under construction]]
[[File:JJC Bradfield Sydney Harbour Bridge 1932.jpg|thumb|left|[[John Bradfield (engineer)|John Bradfield]] riding the first test train across the bridge on 19 January 1932]]
Once the arch was completed, the creeper cranes were then worked back down the arches, allowing the roadway and other parts of the bridge to be constructed from the centre out. The vertical [[Tie (engineering)|hangers]] were attached to the arch, and these were then joined with horizontal crossbeams. The deck for the roadway and railway were built on top of the crossbeams, with the deck itself being completed by June 1931, and the creeper cranes were dismantled. Rails for trains and trams were laid, and road was surfaced using concrete topped with asphalt.<ref name="bos-time" /> Power and telephone lines, and water, gas, and drainage pipes were also all added to the bridge in 1931.{{citation needed|date = March 2014}}

The pylons were built atop the abutment towers, with construction advancing rapidly from July 1931. [[Carpenter]]s built wooden [[scaffold]]ing, with concreters and masons then setting the [[masonry]] and pouring the concrete behind it. [[wikt:ganger|Gangers]] built the steelwork in the towers, while [[Day labor|day labourers]] manually cleaned the granite with wire brushes. The last stone of the north-west pylon was set in place on 15 January 1932, and the timber towers used to support the cranes were removed.<ref name="pl-ph22" /><ref name="bos-time" />

On 19 January 1932, the first test train, a steam locomotive, safely crossed the bridge.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16834951|title=First Train to Cross the Bridge|date=20 January 1932|newspaper=[[Sydney Morning Herald]]|issue=29,342|location=New South Wales, Australia|page=14|via=National Library of Australia|access-date=2 February 2017|archive-date=24 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924100524/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16834951|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Load testing]] of the bridge took place in February 1932, with the four rail tracks being loaded with as many as 96 [[New South Wales Government Railways]] [[steam locomotive]]s positioned end-to-end.<ref>125th Anniversary Special] ''[[Roundhouse (periodical)|Roundhouse]]'' October 1980</ref> The bridge underwent testing for three weeks, after which it was declared safe and ready to be opened.<ref name="bos-time" /> The first trial run of an electric train over the bridge was successfully completed on both lines 11 March 1932.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16847486 |title=First Electric Train to Cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=29,387 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=12 March 1932 |access-date=17 August 2024 |page=16 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> On 19 March 1932, 632 people were the first fare-paying passengers to cross the bridge by rail, paying a premium of 10 [[shilling|s.]] for the privilege, but they were not the first members of the public to do so. That distinction fell to a pair of clergymen who inadvertently boarded the test train of the previous day, and were discovered too late to be ejected.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article143161986 |title=Harbor Bridge |newspaper=[[Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga)]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=22 March 1932 |access-date=16 August 2024 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The construction worksheds were demolished after the bridge was completed, and the land that they were on is now occupied by Luna Park.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lunaparksydney.com/about|title=About Luna Park - Amusement Park in Sydney {{!}} Luna Park Sydney|website=www.lunaparksydney.com|access-date=16 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216215808/http://www.lunaparksydney.com/about|archive-date=16 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

The standards of industrial safety during construction were poor by today's standards. Sixteen workers died during construction,<ref name="7bwh4">{{cite web|title=AtlasDirect news |work=Harbour Bridge |url=http://www.atlasdirect.net/news/Destination%20news/Harbour%20Bridge%20celebrates%2075th%20anniversary.aspx |access-date=17 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929224049/http://www.atlasdirect.net/news/Destination%20news/Harbour%20Bridge%20celebrates%2075th%20anniversary.aspx |archive-date=29 September 2007 }}</ref> but surprisingly only two from falling off the bridge. Several more were injured from unsafe working practices undertaken whilst heating and inserting its rivets, and the deafness experienced by many of the workers in later years was blamed on the project. [[Henri Mallard]] between 1930 and 1932 produced hundreds of stills<ref>Henri Mallard (photographer); introduced by Max Dupain and Howard Tanner. "Building the Sydney Harbour Bridge". Melbourne: Sun Books in association with Australian Centre for Photography, 1976. {{ISBN|0-7251-0232-2}}</ref> and film footage<ref>The Construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, film by Mallard, Henri.; Litchfield, Frank.[Sydney]: [[Engineers Australia|Institution of Engineers, Australia]], Sydney Division, [1995].</ref> which reveal at close quarters the bravery of the workers in tough Depression-era conditions.{{citation needed|date = March 2014}}

Interviews were conducted between 1982-1989 with a variety of tradesmen who worked on the building of the bridge. Among the tradesmen interviewed were drillers, riveters, concrete packers, boilermakers, riggers, ironworkers, plasterers, stonemasons, an official photographer, sleepcutters, engineers and draughtsmen.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://search.sl.nsw.gov.au/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=ADLIB110050485&context=L&vid=SLNSW&search_scope=MOH&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US|title=Richard Raxworthy - interviews, 1982-1989, with Sydney Harbour Bridge builders, relating experiences 1923-1932|website=[[State Library of New South Wales]]|access-date=5 June 2018|archive-date=6 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406000449/https://search.sl.nsw.gov.au/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=ADLIB110050485&context=L&vid=SLNSW&search_scope=MOH&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US|url-status=live}}</ref>

The total financial cost of the bridge was [[Australian pound|AU£]]6.25 million, which was not paid off in full until 1988.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sydney Harbour Bridge |url=http://www.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-city/sydney-harbour/sydney-harbour-bridge |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227174340/http://www.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-city/sydney-harbour/sydney-harbour-bridge |archive-date=27 December 2012 |access-date=3 September 2011 |work=sydney.com |publisher=Destination NSW}}</ref>

===Official opening ceremony===
The bridge was formally opened on Saturday, 19 March 1932.<ref>{{cite book|author=[[Wendy Lewis]], Simon Balderstone and John Bowan|title=Events That Shaped Australia|pages=140–142|publisher=[[New Holland Publishers]]|year=2006|isbn=978-1-74110-492-9 }}</ref> Among those who attended and gave speeches were the [[Governor of New South Wales]], [[Philip Game]], and the Minister for Public Works, [[Lawrence Ennis]]. The [[Premier of New South Wales]], [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]], was to open the bridge by cutting a ribbon at its southern end.<ref>{{cite web|title=National Museum of Australia - Sydney Harbour Bridge opens|url=https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/sydney-harbour-bridge-opens|access-date=16 January 2021|website=[[National Museum of Australia]]|language=en|archive-date=2 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202215500/https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/sydney-harbour-bridge-opens|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Wr Opening Habrour Bridge de Groot 19.03.1932 01.jpg|left|thumb|[[Francis de Groot]] cutting the ribbon at the official opening of the Bridge, 19 March 1932]]
However, just as Lang was about to cut the ribbon, a man in military uniform rode up on a horse, slashing the ribbon with his sword and opening the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the name of the people of New South Wales before the official ceremony began. He was promptly arrested.<ref name=natgeo>{{cite web|url=http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/on-this-day-in-history-opening-of-the-sydney-harbour-bridge.htm|title=On this day in history: Sydney Harbour Bridge opens|work=[[Australian Geographic]]|access-date=17 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706101439/http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/on-this-day-in-history-opening-of-the-sydney-harbour-bridge.htm|archive-date=6 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ribbon was hurriedly retied and Lang performed the official opening ceremony and Game thereafter inaugurated the name of the bridge as Sydney Harbour Bridge and the associated roadway as the Bradfield Highway. After they did so, there was a [[21-gun salute]] and a [[Royal Australian Air Force]] [[flypast]]. The intruder was identified as [[Francis de Groot]]. He was convicted of offensive behaviour and fined £5 after a psychiatric test proved he was sane, but this verdict was reversed on appeal. De Groot then successfully sued the Commissioner of Police for wrongful arrest and was awarded an undisclosed out of court settlement. De Groot was a member of a right-wing paramilitary group called the [[New Guard]], opposed to Lang's leftist policies and resentful of the fact that a member of the [[British royal family]] had not been asked to open the bridge.<ref name=natgeo/> De Groot was not a member of the regular army but his uniform allowed him to blend in with the real cavalry. This incident was one of several involving Lang and the New Guard during that year.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

A similar ribbon-cutting ceremony on the bridge's northern side by North Sydney's mayor, Alderman Primrose, was carried out without incident. It was later discovered that Primrose was also a New Guard member but his role in and knowledge of the de Groot incident, if any, are unclear.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}} The pair of golden scissors used in the ribbon cutting ceremonies on both sides of the bridge was also used to cut the ribbon at the dedication of the [[Bayonne Bridge]], which had opened between [[Bayonne, New Jersey]], and [[New York City]] the year before.<ref>{{cite news|title=Two States Open Bayonne Bridge, Forming Fifth Link|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/11/15/archives/two-states-open-bay-onne-bridge-forming-fifth-link-new-york-and-new.html|newspaper=[[New York Times]]|date=15 November 1931|page=1|access-date=30 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723064620/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/11/15/archives/two-states-open-bay-onne-bridge-forming-fifth-link-new-york-and-new.html|archive-date=23 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Hails Bridge at Sydney|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/03/18/archives/hails-bridge-at-sydney-port-authority-sends-greetings-on-completion.html|newspaper=[[New York Times]]|date=18 March 1932|page=43|access-date=30 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723064703/https://www.nytimes.com/1932/03/18/archives/hails-bridge-at-sydney-port-authority-sends-greetings-on-completion.html|archive-date=23 July 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Despite the bridge opening in the midst of the [[Great Depression]], opening celebrations were organised by the Citizens of Sydney Organising Committee, an influential body of prominent men and politicians that formed in 1931 under the chairmanship of the [[Lord Mayor of Sydney|lord mayor]] to oversee the festivities. The celebrations included an array of decorated [[Float (parade)|floats]], a procession of passenger ships sailing below the bridge, and a [[Venetian Carnival]].<ref>{{cite book | author= New South Wales Government Printing Office | year= 1932 | title= Photographs of Opening of Sydney Harbour Bridge [picture] | publisher= Government Printing Office, Sydney | url= https://primo-slnsw.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=ADLIB110345241&context=L&vid=SLNSW&search_scope=EEA&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US | access-date= 15 January 2017 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180102035252/https://primo-slnsw.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=ADLIB110345241&context=L&vid=SLNSW&search_scope=EEA&tab=default_tab&lang=en_US | archive-date= 2 January 2018 | url-status= live | df= dmy-all }}</ref> A message from a primary school in [[Tottenham, New South Wales|Tottenham]], {{Convert|515|km|mi|abbr=on}} away in rural New South Wales, arrived at the bridge on the day and was presented at the opening ceremony. It had been carried all the way from Tottenham to the bridge by relays of school children, with the final relay being run by two children from the nearby [[Fort Street High School|Fort Street Boys' and Girls' schools]]. 
After the official ceremonies, the public was allowed to walk across the bridge on the deck, something that would not be repeated until the 50th anniversary celebrations.<ref name=shb-archives37/> Estimates suggest that between 300,000 and one million people took part in the opening festivities,<ref name=shb-archives37 /> a phenomenal number given that the entire [[Demographics of Sydney#Historical population|population of Sydney]] at the time was estimated to be 1,256,000.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article83431445 |title=SYDNEY'S POPULATION |newspaper=[[Singleton Argus]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=9 May 1932 |access-date=12 April 2019 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-date=24 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924100518/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/83431445 |url-status=live }}</ref>

There had also been numerous preparatory arrangements. On 14 March 1932, three postage stamps were issued to commemorate the imminent opening of the bridge. Several songs were composed for the occasion.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sydney Harbour Bridge - Bridge Ahoy!|url=http://bridgeahoy.ice.org.au/bridge/sydney-harbour-bridge/|website=Bridge Ahoy!|access-date=14 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215120545/http://bridgeahoy.ice.org.au/bridge/sydney-harbour-bridge/|archive-date=15 February 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> In the year of the opening, there was a steep rise in babies being named Archie and Bridget in honour of the bridge.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/online-exhibition/sydney-harbour-bridge|title=Sydney Harbour Bridge Trivia|website=[[National Film & Sound Archive]]|date=6 March 2017|access-date=24 April 2019|archive-date=24 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424125604/https://www.nfsa.gov.au/collection/online-exhibition/sydney-harbour-bridge|url-status=live}}</ref> One of three microphones used at the opening ceremony was signed by 10 local dignitaries who officiated at the event, Philip Game, John Lang, MA Davidson, Samuel Walder, D Clyne, H Primrose, Ben Howe, John Bradfield, Lawrence Ennis and Roland Kitson. It was supplied by [[AWA Technology Services|AWA]] who organised the ceremony's broadcast and collected by Philip Geeves, the AWA announcer on the day. The radio is now in the collection of the [[Powerhouse Museum]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reiss (Reisz) carbon granule microphone used at Sydney Harbour Bridge opening |url=https://collection.maas.museum/object/365306 |access-date=20 March 2022 |website=Powerhouse Museum |language=en |archive-date=27 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327093210/https://collection.maas.museum/object/365306 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The bridge itself was regarded as a triumph over Depression times, earning the nickname "the [[Negative pressure ventilator|Iron Lung]]", as it kept many Depression-era workers employed.<ref name="Tomalin, Terry (September 2000)">{{cite news|last1=Tomalin|first1=Terry|title=View won't leave you speechless; Series: Out there; Summer Olympics: Sydney 2000|work=[[St Petersburg Times]]|issue=South Pinellas Edition|date=26 September 2000|location=St. Petersburg, FL|page=7C}}</ref>