AWARD WINNING

2011 National Trust Heritage Awards 
Conservation for Built Heritage: Highly Commended

Overview
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of Australia's most significant landmarks, and one of the most readily recognised symbols of Sydney across the globe. Officially opened in 1932, a distinctive feature of Sydney Harbour Bridge's profile has been the four painting and maintenance cranes. The bridge is painted every five years and has an annual maintenance budget of $20 million. The original cranes – designed in 1929 and decommissioned in 1997 – were in use for nearly seventy years.
ICS was commissioned by the then Roads & Traffic Authority (RTA, now the Roads and Maritime Services) to guide them through the decision-making process with regard to the future of the four cranes which were removed from the Bridge in 1997. The result of this process was that one crane would be retained by the RTA and placed on external public display, one crane would be donated to the National Museum of Australia, and the remaining two cranes would be de-accessioned and subsequently disposed of.

Treatment
• Development of a Heritage Asset Management Strategy (HAMS)
• Negotiating possible donation terms and conditions between the RTA and the National Museum of Australia
• Scheme design for proposed display of a crane in Bradfield Park
• Development of interpretive strategy for the proposed display of a crane in Bradfield Park
• Preparation of submission to North Sydney Council
• Scoping of conservation treatment methodologies
• Conservation treatments of two cranes, including full treatment documentation
• Coordination of the disposal of remnants of two cranes and documentation of disposal process
• Development and negotiation of loan agreement for loan of a conserved crane to the National Museum of Australia