Spiderman has conquered Sydney.
World-famous free-climber Alain Robert brought the city to a standstill as he scaled the RBS Tower at the heart of the CBD today.
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The long-haired Frenchman made short work of the Renzo Piano-designed building, stopping at various times to show off his balance hands-free or on one leg.
Robert also apparently sent messages from a mobile phone when he made it to the top.
The feat drew hundreds of spectators and forced police to close off the westbound lane of Bent St, causing gridlock along a route popular with cab drivers.
But even a police officer joined in the applause when Robert made it to the top.
Claire Mitchell was one of the spectators, joining workmates from law firm — and RBS Tower tenant — Minter Ellison to watch the climb.
"One of the lawyers came in and said all these camera crews were outside," she told ninemsn.
"We rushed down to see what was going on … it's a bit different to your average working day."
When asked what she thought of Robert, Ms Mitchell said: "He's got some guts, that's for sure — I wouldn't do it.
"I just hope he gets down OK."
And he did, climbing back down the structure and into a window of the building where he was expected to hand himself over to police.
At an earlier press conference, Robert — a short, wiry man who looks like a mix of Wayne and Garth from the film Wayne's World — admitted to feeling uneasy about the heavy rain that had fallen earlier in the day.
"The weather's not good — maybe it's the global warming," he joked, referring to the environmental activism he is promoting during his appearance.
"It's going to make the structure slippery but I'm confident, the target is not that difficult."
But the climate was on Robert's side: the rain subsided by mid-morning and a rare ray of sun broke through the clouds as he reached the top of the 41-storey building.
The only hiccup was a gust of winding flipping over a sign advertising the environmental action website that the Frenchman endorses.
Robert had told the media that world leaders — including "your prime minister Rude" — had to take quick action.
"We should think differently and realise that what's happened now in Bangladesh soon will happen in Australia," he said.
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