Sydney Harbour Bridge climb: BridgeClimb loses rights to operate climb

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Sydney Harbour Bridge climb: BridgeClimb loses rights to operate climb

By Matt O'Sullivan
The business operating the bridge climb has been highly profitable for its owners.

The business operating the bridge climb has been highly profitable for its owners.

The operators of Scenic World in the Blue Mountains have broken the near two-decade grip of a company founded by Sydney entrepreneur Paul Cave on the rights to lead thousands of people over the Sydney Harbour Bridge each year.

Hammons Holdings, a family-owned Australian business, has been awarded a 20-year contract for tourism activities on the Coathanger, seeing off 12 other companies including the incumbent BridgeClimb, whose wealthy owners include billionaires Jack Cowin and Brett Blundy.

Roads and Maritime Services, the government authority that oversees the Australian landmark, said Hammons had outlined a “strong and clear vision” for new climb routes, improving accessibility and new technologies for a “more interactive and innovative visitor experience”.

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The company's director, David Hammon, said its plans for the bridge centred on improving accessibility for the public and bringing it to life with new technology.

“We also see potential to link the Blue Mountains and Sydney Harbour Bridge as tourist destinations, boosting the flow of visitors from one to the other,” he said.

“We want to make [the bridge] a must-see destination for Sydneysiders and visitors to Sydney, regardless of physical or financial restraints.”

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

The other companies to lose out to Hammons include Dreamworld owner Ardent Leisure, the operator of Anytime Fitness, golf and sports club company Belgravia Leisure, and a Queensland company that operates a zip line beside Cairns' Skyrail gondola.

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Since Mr Cave's BridgeClimb began guiding people over the arches in 1998, 4 million people from more than 140 countries have climbed the Harbour Bridge.

Mr Cave said in a statement that it had been a “privilege for us to make a hero of the bridge”, and he praised more than 1500 present and former staff who had worked on the city's “ultimate experience”.

“Every one of our past and present team can hold their heads high on what we have created together,” he said.

Charging up to $378 for a ticket to scale the bridge's southern arches, the business has been highly profitable for its owners.

BridgeClimb's most recent accounts show it paid $17 million in dividends to its owners in the 2015-16 financial year, and a further $2.75 million in the months afterwards.

In return for the use of the bridge, the company has paid about $1.9 million annually in recent years to the state government.

Roads and Maritime Services declined to reveal the amount the new operator will pay the state, citing commercial-in-confidence reasons.

However, it is believed to be significantly more than what BridgeClimb has paid.

The new 20-year contract will begin on October 1, and tickets to climb the bridge purchased before then will remain valid for the date booked.

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