Sea Cliff Bridge in New South Wales (2023)

If you have seen pictures of Sydney on the internet, then you must have seen pictures of the bridge that goes out in the ocean. Sea Cliff Bridge is one of the Instagrammable pictures of Sydney.

On my first visit to the Helensburgh temple, I had driven on the Sea cliff bridge. It is one of those bridges that is unique and a major tourist attraction in the New South Wales (NSW) state of Australia.

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About the Sea Cliff Bridge

The Sea Cliff Bridge is a highlight on the Grand Pacific Drive and spans between Sydney and Wollongong. The Grand Pacific Drive, part of the East Coast of Australia, is a 140 kilometres of scenic drive covering the coastal cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Kiama and Shoalhaven.

Located in the northern Illawarra region of NSW of Australia, the bridge is about 665 meters in length and was opened in December 2005. The bridge was named by a 11 year old school girl Makenzie Russell following a naming competition at a local primary school. And the cost to build the bridge was around 52 million Australian dollars.

Did you know that the bridge has been shown in many movies and television shows? One such movie is the Superman Returns. The scene where Superman saves a space shuttle from crashing into the ocean displays the bridge on the screen.

By the way, the bridge at Bare Island was shot in Mission Impossible 2.

Best Time to Visit Sea Cliff Bridge

The best time to visit the bridge is during the sunrise or sunset as the views are stunning. The reflections and the glare of the sun rays are extremely pretty and provide great opportunities to take pictures.

How to get to Sea Cliff bridge?

By Road

As I mentioned earlier in the post, I have always driven to the Sea cliff bridge. With breath taking views of the coastal line on one side of the road, the Sea cliff bridge is around 60 kilometres from Sydney and takes just over an hour to drive.

For fun big things to see along the way in NSW, read 11 big things to see in NSW.

By Public Transport

The Sea cliff bridge can also be reached by public transport, which is train. The train that goes to the south coast, departing from the Central train station in Sydney stops at Scarborough and Coalcliff train stations. You can get down either at Scarborough train station or at Coalcliff train station.

The Scarborough train station is just 1.8 kilometres and Coalcliff train station is just 15 minutes steep walk from the Sea Cliff bridge. Up-to-date information on the timings, pricing and route for trains can be found on the Transport for NSW website. Note: The train fare can be paid by either the Opal transportation card or credit/ debit cards.

Sea Cliff Bridge Pedestrian Walk

Yes, you can walk on the Sea cliff bridge. There is a pedestrian walkway just along the coast on one side of the road where people can walk and take pictures of the uninterrupted views of the ocean. This bridge can be a great spot to see the whales during the whale watching season in Sydney.

• Be careful of the vehicles while crossing the highway as there is no pedestrian signal.
• The cars can be limitedly parked at the north end of the bridge.

Views of Sea Cliff Bridge

There are a few view points from where you can see the bridge clearly.

• Bald Hill viewpoint – The view from the Bald hill is awesome. You can see the bridge very clearly and see how it protrudes towards the Pacific Ocean. The Bald hill is also a great place for paragliding adventurous activity.

• Sea Cliff bridge lookout – There is also a Sea Cliff bridge lookout that is just next to the bushes by a small parking bay. The parking bay is right next to a white sign with black letters written as Sea Cliff Bridge. The hike to the lookout is a short but steep hike. This hike is very less known and not many people do the hike. It requires holding the ropes and a good grip to get to the lookout. There are yellow markings along the way that show the path to the top.

Closing Notes

The Sea cliff bridge is truly worth visiting and driving on. The views of the ocean and the architectural design is very unique and interesting. I have driven on this bridge many a times but I still get excited every time I drive and see the bridge. Have you visited the Sea cliff bridge? Do you like the views? Let me know in the comments below.

For a remarkable coastal drive along the east coast of Australia, read Ultimate road trip on the east coast of Australia.