Construction began in 1924 under Bradfield’s supervision. The deep waters of Sydney Harbour made temporary supports impractical, so the steel arch was assembled by building out from each bank. The two sides met in the middle in 1930, and the bridge was officially opened with an elaborate ceremony on March 19, 1932.

Construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge spanned almost a decade, from 1923 to 1932. The bridge was formally opened on 19 March 1932 by New South Wales Labor Premier Jack Lang. Controversially, Francis de Groot, a member of the New Guard right-wing paramilitary group, rode his horse through the crowd and cut the ribbon first.

The Bridge took eight years to build, from 1925 to 1932, including the approaches and supporting roads. Over 2,000 people were employed to work on the bridge, including engineers, boilermakers, ironworkers and stonemasons.

In 1878 a floating bridge was proposed to connect the two sides of the harbour. In 1885 a tunnel under the harbour was suggested. Sydney and the north shore continued to grow. In 1912 engineer Dr John Bradfield was appointed to design a bridge to span the harbour, but construction was delayed when World War I started in 1914.

On 28 July 1923, the first sod was turned at a ceremony heralding the official start of construction on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The beloved landmark would become one of Australia’s biggest employment projects during the Great Depression, hiring boilermakers, draughtsmen, engineers and more.