Sydney’s Skywalk to open in October

Sydney’s highest attraction, Skywalk, which will allow thrillseeking sightseers onto the roof of Sydney Tower for the first time, is to open on 18 October 2005.

Tickets for the much-anticipated adrenalin attraction go on sale on 1 October, with the first ‘golden ticket’ to the top of Sydney’s skyline up for auction to the highest bidder on e-Bay with proceeds going to charity.

Destined to be one of Australia’s must-do tourist experiences, Sydney Tower’s spectacular $6 million Skywalk will see daredevil visitors step outside onto the roof of the tower’s golden turret, 268 metres above the city, for bird’s-eye views of Sydney and its spectacular surrounds.

Dressed in protective clothing and harnessed to safety rails by sliding cables, Skywalkers will be guided along two levels of circular steel pathways around the top of the tower before venturing out on platforms suspended over the tower’s edge, with one of the platforms dropping to the lower level.

Glass floor panels on the protruding platforms will provide eye-popping views over the city from a height more than double that of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

“As Sydney’s highest altitude tour, Skywalk is certain to become one of Australia’s most popular tourist drawcards when it opens on October 18,” said James Fulford, Chief Executive Officer of the Sydney Aquarium Group, which operates Sydney Tower’s tourist attractions.

“Skywalkers will have the unique opportunity to literally walk across the city skyline and enjoy unmatched views of the world’s most beautiful harbour,” Mr Fulford added. “We expect tens of thousands of people a year will seek the adrenalin rush Skywalk will offer.”

To coincide with the opening of bookings on 1 October, Sydney Tower will commence a 10-day e-Bay auction for the chance to be the first member of the public to take the Skywalk challenge. Proceeds from the sale of the Skywalk ticket auction will be donated to the Outward Bound organisation, which offers teenagers and adults challenging outdoor education programs.

As Sydney’s highest building, the 305-metre high Sydney Tower has attracted more than 16 million visitors to its 250 metre-high observation deck since opening in 1981.

Skywalk will be officially opened on Monday 17 October, with the first public tour scheduled for October 18. Public tickets sales open on 1 October. The 95-minute Skywalk tour will operate from 9am to 10pm daily, with the last Skywalk departing 8.15pm. Tickets will be available from A$109 for adults and from A$85 for children, with the minimum age 10.

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