The Golden Ticket! I mean the Green Ticket…
The queue at Milson’s Point
Queue entertainment
It’s 5.47am and I’ve already been awake for almost 2 hours. Whilst I’m a mixture of barely coherent and half present, I’m also extremely excited. For this morning, starting at the ungodly hour of 6.30am Mr NQN and I are two of 6,000 lucky residents of New South Wales to be breakfasting on the bridge. Done by ballot, 40,000 people (although in some reports up to 190,000 people) in the state entered the draw to secure a seat to have breakfast on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the first time ever that such an event has been held. And the cost? Free to the lucky 6,000 (but at a reported cost of $1 million to stage).
The entertainment
The cows!
We join the queue before 6am with the promise of coffee once we walk up to the bridge. Everyone is excited about being a part of it and at about 6.30am the queue starts moving. The lines are reasonably short at the Mocopan stands as there are many stands so we make our orders – there’s only time to do two kinds of coffee, black and white and we sip them while making our way across the bridge. There’s entertainment along the way and we sniff the air curiously … cows? It smells like cows? Sure enough, there are cows on the bridge!
We have our tickets scanned and keep walking. We reach the Northern pylon and suddenly there’s an expanse of green. They weren’t kidding, there’s actual grass laid down on the bridge and it’s not astroturf, it’s the real deal and soft and feels as if it grew there. They reportedly started laying the 10,000 square metres of Kikuyu grass (a drought resistant grass) at 3am that morning. Some people take off their shoes and walk in the grass.
People are having fun and settling in and opening up their picnics. There are helicopters flying all round us like mosquitoes and some get very close and people wave to them. The music selection is… eclectic to say the least. There’s a bit of everything including a choir and some birds chirping and a recording of kookaburras and cockatoos. Wandering around there are groups of people from various NSW producers like Yalla dairy, Abbott’s Village bakery bread, Batlow Apples and Cuttaway Creek jams.
A champagne breakfast!
We then receive our “pod” number which is not as space agey as it sounds, it’s simply a section on the grass and we’re allocated to pod #4. We sit down on the soft grass and unfurl our picnic blankets. There’s a selection of things that have been packed for us but there’s also the very generous samples being given out. In fact the following were said to have been given out: 9,500 Batlow Apples from the Snowy Mountains, 7,000 handmade Cuttaway Creek raspberry jam from the Southern Highlands, 4,800 loaves of Abbott’s Village Bread, 6,750 Yalla Yoghurt from Riverina and 6,000 cups of Mocopan coffee.
Tower of Yalla Prune and Vanilla Yoghurt!
The Yalla Vanilla and Prune Yoghurt is a hit with the thick and creamy vanilla bean flecked yoghurt. It’s so good that when we miss out on ours, we go and flag them down and they generously come back with 13 pots!
Cuttaway Creek Raspberry Jam
The Cuttaway Creek Raspberry Jam is also delicious and we have this with the loaves of Abbott’s Village bread as they’re literally giving away jars of everything and loaves of bread.
The view from the scissor lift
The Opera House from the scissor lift on the Harbour Bridge
By now everyone has received a yellow or green cap and dons them. Competition is fierce with the photographers trying to capture their shots for their various publications. We finally get onto the scissor lift and take in the spectacular view. It’s quite amazing to see and when you’ve driven on the bridge as many times as we have, slightly surreal too.
At 8:30am, as the breakfast winds to a close, a Richie Benaud-esque voice comes over the loudspeaker and lets us know that our time has come to a close. Everyone picks up their rubbish and packs up and takes the walk back down the Southern exit of the bridge. And the best news? They’re planning to hold this as an annual event.
“I think they made a deal with the devil” I say to Mr NQN later that day when we are driving around and the heavens opened to release torrential rains and we witness cars get flooded and stranded. It’s amazing to think that only hours before, we were dining on the Harbour Bridge and basking in the sun.
NQN and Mr NQN attended the Breakfast on the Bridge as a guest of Tourism NSW.
Breakfast on the Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge
Held on Sunday the 25th of October from 6:30am-8:30am
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70 Comments | Add your own
wow this looks like so much fun! cool! i want a green ticket too for such an awesome breakfast under the bridge- champagne would be a great bonus too
x
I’m so glad it didn’t rain! Looks wonderful!
Wow! I would have risen super early to be a part of that! The prune and vanilla yoghurt looks and sounds fabulous. I’ll have to track some down.
what a nice place and nice atmosphere
my blog changed name here’s the new link http://maltesebakes.blogspot.com
isn’t this the best thing ever? Great photos of great moments!
That is just unbelievable. What a fabulous event and how great that you got to attend. Thanks for sharing the story and pictures.
Oh wow, that’s so much fun!!!
oh my goodness!Maybe Brisbane will do a copycat version on the story bridge?! This looks amazing. Were sydneysiders mad about traffic being cut off?
Don’t forget to try the Yalla hommus- their hommus is literally THE best hommus I have ever bought!
That is quite astonishing. Looks like it was great fun, but the question burning in my mind is what did they do with all of that sod/grass? Your photos really capture the essence of the event!
Goodness me- sometimes I think I must live under a rock as this is the first I heard about it. It sounds totally unconventional (in a good way) and a very surreal experience!!!
Great pictures! You are so lucky you got the tickets. My sister tried but wasn’t able to. Maybe next year!
This is so not related to your post sorry… but I just wanted to say thank you for my first ever comment on my new blog! I feel so special!
But back to you.. I love that yalla yoghurt… I havent tried that flavour but the others are nice.
I cant believe that put cows on the bridge!
Oh it looked like so much fun! I desperately wanted tickets but was unlucky – maybe next time
I didn’t realise they were supplying food either – I assumed you had to bring your own!
Yay! So glad you got a guernsey on the Bridge Breakfast – it looks like it was fun. Great photos too. Although I am still not so sure about those eraly hours on a weekend …
What a wonderful report of a monumental day !
Well Done !
What a cool idea!!
Great photos =) Looks like there was nice weather for it too!
x
It looks like so much fun! I was so disappointed that I didn’t get picked! haha. Hopefully next year
That looks so amazing, I wish I lived in Sydney, would have loved to attend!
Looks like a lot of fun!
(although I have to admit I feel a little bah humbug about it because I think it would have been more sensible to have it in a park where it’s not disrupting traffic, and where there is already grass, and where everyone who wants to can go!)(grumble grumble…) ;o)
You are so lucky! I’m definitely going in the ballot next year.
Ohhh I am so jealous. Both myself and my partner applied and neither of us were lucky enough. Looks like it was a great morning.. what a view!!!
Wow!!! How fun but what did the traffic do in the mean time?? I am guessing there are other bridges? LOL! I am so afraid of bridges and heights that I don’t think I would have enjoyed it. But what a cool thing to do. THe cows were gorgeous- I wonder what breed they are? You do get to do the coolest things, NQN- all I can do is READ about them!
Wow, it looks amazing. Thank you for posting such great photos. Only saw the Herald with one photo. Can forward this to overseas family now.
Oh lucky you! That sounded like so much fun. I must have been under my rock because I didn’t even know about the ballot much less the actual event – d’uh! I wouldn’t be kept up to date but for you lovely Lorraine
I was there too! I wish I’d seen you so we could have shared a glass of bubbly. It was a truly amazing event.
We were also fortunate enough to go to the breakfast, sat in section 5, what a wonderful experience, worth every minute of lost sleep. We exited via Observatory Hill and continued the morning with coffee and the view. I was so excited all day.
looks fantastic. was so hard to get a ticket. so many people i know weren’t successful. they should do it every day hehe
Thanks for this report Lorraine,
I really missed the event, somehow the opportunity to register for it passed me by…I could kick myself for this.
But your reportage sort of made it all good – I can sense the atmosphere.
With my son and dau I joined the 7 bridges walk – very good in itself but can’t compare with your bridge breakfast of course, we got rain for dessert…
I agree, it is surreal to be on the bridge where there is usually traffic. So glad this may be an annual event as I really enjoyed traffic being closed for the 75th Anniversary Bridge Walk.
How fun does that look! Lucky the weather was nice.
Wow what an amazing experience. I loved your pictures.
Oh how I envy you!! This looks like sooo much fun. Although a Melbourne-ite (in heart as I studied there) I have ALWAYS loved the Bridge. I used to have a poster of the bridge in my flat in Melb. What an experience it must have been. I am soooo soooo envious!
Oh wow!! You were so lucky to be able to go. Unfortunately I was one of the many unlucky souls out there who didn’t manage to get a ticket (or know anyone who got one!). I am glad to hear that it will turn into an annual event so I will try my luck again next year!!
That is absolutely incredible. You are so lucky to have been part of that. Now that we’ve seen the Bridge, we know how special this experience must have been.
that’s ALOT of people on a bridge for breakfast. and COWS too. O_O;
That looks like fun!!! Will definitely be trying out for tickets next year – and yes, I did think of everyone who had been on the bridge as we nearly got washed away by the rain at lunchtime!!! Great timing!!
Really nice pics, and interesting to get the views from the lift as well!! Sadly, I wasn’t among the lucky winners but one of my friends got tickets and she said she had a ball. And Mr NQN was quite right about making a deal with the devil – as soon as the breakfast wrapped up, it started pouring rain and didn’t stop all day!
This is incredible! I really love it when areas that are normally car-ridden are closed off and pedestrians take over. Adding the grass takes it to the next level. Amazing!
I’m so applying for a ticket next year, even if it does mean staying overnight up there for it!
wow, this is amazing!! What a fantastic experience, and all the free samples!!
Hee hee looks like they did a job well done! My friend offered me a place as they had an extra ticket but it was wayyyyyy too early for me haha
This looks like it was an awesome event with all the freebies and that grass. I thought they were putting fake grass down. I registered but didn’t get a place. I came down from the Central Coast however to attend the Perfect Picnic which unfortunately was cancelled on our arrival at Circular Quay. Ended up going to the AB Hotel in Glebe for a counter lunch which we thoroughly enjoyed.
I love the photo taken at grass-level, it is so unusual! And I was thinking about the Bridge when it started raining yesterday – thank goodness it was over before the rain.
Boo Hoo not fair I so wanted to go. Never mind you really covered it well and the pics are great. I’m definitely doing this next year and glad it will be an annual event, hope I don’t miss out by ballot though. I was concerned for everyone because the weather was awful but it was great to hear that the event was rain-free. Looking forward to 2010, sitting on the bridge with a lovely glass of bubbly!
I love the idea of breakfast on a bridge!
What a great event. I can imagine it would be a terrific experience. Some NZ friends of mine were there as there daughter lives in Sydney and scored tickets for it. Thanks for sharing the experience and great photos.
What a great event! I’m also curious to know what the sydneysiders generally thought of the idea of closing off the bridge…
This made me late for work haha! I’m glad the weather held out for you lot looks like a load of fun!
Wow sounds like a wonderful way to start the day. Lots of tasty things to eat and drink
Unfortunately I missed out this year. How exciting for you and Mr NQN. I am so glad that they will be making this into an annual event. This is one of the reasons I love Sydney so much, its beautiful.
What an amazing experience. There’s nothing quite on the same scale here in Brisbane to even contemplate how large an event this was. How wonderful for you and Mr NQN!
Your post made me feel like I was there! Just as well as not even grass on the bridge would make me miss out on my weekend sleep in but gosh the photos were magical!
Great photos! It looks like an awesome morning out.
Oh my gosh, what fun! You captured the event beautifully!
moooooo! usually i don’t like huge crowds of people, but this looks like a blast!
Yep looks great. I like the bridge with a green surface and people sitting around enjoying themselves on it rather than sitting around in their cars not enjoying themselves. Nice shots,good story. Opera House looks great.
woooooooooh!! vat a great place. and the queue is huge!! guess you had lotsa fun huh? hehe love the cows and the raspberry jam bottle..
Wow! OMG this is such a fabulous event. Serioulsy, I love it! The photos were great, it was like ebing there. Great blog post. Thanks for sharing!
This post was fascinating – what a superb event! I’ve been over the Sydney Bridge before, and find it hard to imagine it with grass
Looks like you had a fabulous time!
amazing photos! i’m guessing double the amount of people are going to enter the lottery next year, what a fabulous event
Entertainment, great food, and gorgeous views…this looks like it was so much fun! Your photos are absolutely breathtaking, Lorraine. I love how they laid out real grass, what a fantastic special touch.
Sorry to be a party pooper but $1 million dollars and such inconvience for a select few to enjoy a picnic doesn’t seem right in my book.
But anyway looks like a fantastic experience none the less.
Feeling rather the worse for wear after a Hen’s Night at Manly we got stuck in the traffic trying to get home. We did try to be gracious about it because it was such a novelty event but after 2 hours to get from Manly to Mascot where we then got stuck in the aftermath of a 4 car pile up it was still a long way to get to Miranda and tempers were getting a little frayed!!
I saw this reported in the newspaper and thought it looked awesome! Too bad I don’t live in Sydney, or I would have been there too – the atmosphere would have been so good!
Wow, that looks fantastic. Great publicity to the batlow apple people (do you know they’ve published a rather yummy cookbook?) And I love that yoghurt. Yum! I;m jealous. All we had was our local show with sausage sangers.
Wauw that looks so cool! I had to work that Sunday and heard about it to late ( Since im not from Australia I dont know all the happenings yet)…Does that maybe happen more often a yeaR? Cause id love to go but will only be here for 3 more months.
thanx
Hi diva-Thanks it was fantastic and yes champagne gives it that extra special quality!
x
Hi Maria-Me too!
Thankyou!
Hi Amy-It’;s really good and it’s nice and thick too!
Hi snooky doodle-It was amazing!
Oh cool!
Hi Anh-It sure was! A once in a lifetime event!
Hi Lea Ann-I agree!
You’re more than welcome!
Hi pigpigscorner-It was truly amazing!
Hi Gastronomy Gal-Perhaps! I don’t see why not!
I think it was really early so it wasn’t that bad although I know a lot didn’t like the amount spent on it! Oh cool I’ll give it a go!
Hi Donalyn-It was amazing and surreal. They recycled it which was really good! Thankyou!
Hi sandra-It was completely surreal I have to say!
Hi Trissa-I feel so lucky indeed! Ahh yes maybe next year huh?
Hi buggy-Hehe oh cool, you’re welcome!
I know, isn’t that crazy? 
Hi A Girl Called E-Yes maybe next year!
I think you were supposed to but they ended up giving away so much food!
Hi Cakelaw-Thankyou so much!
Hehe yes the early hours are a killer! I wonder if that was where the 1,000 no shows were-in bed!
Hi Peter-Thanks so much!
Hi Iron Chef Shellie-Isn’t it just! It was the perfect weather for it
Hi Betty-Aww what a shame! Yes next year!
Hi KymT-It’s one of the reasons why I love living here!
Hi arista-Thanks, it was wonderful. Haha but then it wouldn’t have been a breakfast on the bridge no?
Hi Suzanne-Definitely, it’s really fun!
’
Hi Kym-Aww what a shame-perhaps next year though? They said they’re thinking of doing it as an annual event!
Hi June-There’s a tunnel they can go through
You don’t really get vertigo (I have vertigo but didn’t feel bad). It was very cool I have to say! 
Hi sally-You;re welcome! I hope they like them
Hi shaz-It was an amazing event!
Maybe next year!? 
Aww thankyou!
Hi Syrie-Oh cool! Yes it was quite large but would have loved to meet you too
hi Betty-Ahh yes your pod was right next to ours. It was a great day wasn’t it! All days should start that fun
hi Simon-Haha imagine that!
Hi Howard-You’re welcome!
It was very surreal yet such a lovely atmosphere and of course everyone was in a fab mood! Yes what a shame about the rain!
Hi ms delicieuse-totally! Yes they should do it more often (now that there’s the tunnel)
Hi Esz-We were SO lucky with the weather!
Hi Trish-Thankyou so much!
Hi Dharm-It was one of those things that you just wanted to soak in as much as possible!
Such an amazing event!
Hi clekitty-I know!
Aww what a shame 
Yes it’s definitely worth putting your name in for!
Hi Akila-Yes it’s hard to believe there were cows and grass there!
Hi The Asian Pear-I know! Weird huh?
Hi Claire-Yes how phenomenal was that timing? They really made a deal with the devil!
Hi Myriam-Thankyou so much!
I know, how cool was getting on that lift! Yes it was so funny the weather, suhc a sudden and significant turn! 
Hi Conor-Yes it’s great isn’t iut!
All the much stranger since we’ve made that crossing so many times by car!
Hi Fiona-Definitely do!
Hi Maria-Thanks it was fabulous and the samples were of the best produce!
hi Ffichiban-Oh no seriously?
You must love your sleep! 
Hi Connie-Yes I didn’t realise that the grass would be that nice and soft and lush and…real!
That’s great to hear that you enjoyed yourself! 
Hi Belle-Thanks! Mr NQN got some great photos! Yes what a relief!
Hi Matilda-yes it was so lucky! :O Amazingly so really! Yes I hope you get some tickets!
hi Midge-It’s amazing!
Hi barbara-OH that must have been amazing for them!
You’re welcome! 
Hi Lisbeth-I think the ones that went thought it was fabulous but of course there were some that didn’t like the cost of the event!
Hi Lex-Haha really!
Thankyou! 
Hi Katie-Thanks, it was so lovely!
Hi Katherine-Yes that way everyone will get a chance to go!
Me too!
Hi Julia-Thanks, we felt so lucky to be invited!
Hi Moya-Thankyou!
Yes it was quite a magical event!
Hi Anita-It was indeed awesome!
Hi Winnie-Thankyou so much!
Hi grace-Yes this is one time where the crowds are great!
Hi Andrew-Haha so true! A much better vista I agree. Thankyou!
Hi nora-Haha yes it was a perfect morning really!
Hi Velva-Thanks, it was amazing really, I can’t believe they pulled it off so well! You’re welcome!
Hi Lucy-Yes it’s very difficult to imagine it with grass isn’t it! I did
Hi Mei-Thankyou! Yes I can imagine as now they’ve seen what it’s like from all the coverage!
Hi Faith-Thankyou so much Faith!
Yes they went above and beyond expectations! 
Hi Louise-You’re entitled to your own opinion. Most people that thought that didn’t go though. I suspect that those that went thought it was amazing
Hi Amy-Ahh really! I guess the rain didn’t help matters either!
Hi Katie-The atmosphere was similar to that of the Olympics, everyone in a really good mood!
Hi Jetlagmama-OH really, I had no idea! That sounds like fun too!
Hi Beau-Ahh what a pity! This was the first time and they’re thinking of doing it annually
Hi there,
great site. I wondered if there is any chance of getting some of the shots of the prodcue re Breakfast on the Bridge. i was the food consultant/creative producer on the event and was influential in supporting local producers. i would love a copy as I was so hectic on the day and would like to send to the producers and farmers,
Kind Regards
Alison Drover
I personally like a quiet and sedate breakfast that does the trick for me. All I can say is that bridge looks busier than a Spanish beach, NIGHTMARE….!
However the view looks stunning…
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[...] destination (or perhaps I mumbled incoherently). It was my second 4am rise in 2 days. And like the Breakfast on the Bridge, it was something that I gladly rose for. When I was invited to experience a Day In the Life of [...]
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