The story of this place
The Sea Cliff Bridge opened in 2005 as a spectacular 455.6-metre curved viaduct that sweeps out over the crashing Tasman Sea, replacing the dangerous section of Lawrence Hargrave Drive that was repeatedly closed by rockfalls from the escarpment above. The $52 million bridge was officially named by 11-year-old Makenzie Russell, a Stanwell Park schoolgirl who won a public naming competition. The bridge quickly became an icon: cyclists and walkers flock to its pedestrian walkway for the ocean views, and lovers attach padlocks to the railings in a tradition borrowed from European bridges. The bridge has also appeared in a Ferrari/Shell television commercial and features in the Xbox racing game Forza Horizon 3. Beneath the bridge, the ocean drops away sharply, and during whale migration season (May-November), humpback whales can sometimes be spotted breaching just offshore.