Helensburgh NSW 2508
Sea Cliff Bridge Love Locks
Last updated 7 July 2026
Updated June 2026 — Love locks are no longer permitted on or near the Sea Cliff Bridge. Transport for NSW removed padlocks in 2014 and again in 2017, concreted over attachment points, and posted signs warning that any new locks will be removed. Couples who still want the tradition can use the dedicated love-lock chains at Mount Keira Summit Park lookout instead.
What were the love locks?
For several years, couples visiting the Sea Cliff Bridge attached engraved padlocks to the bridge railings and nearby retaining structures — a gesture popularised worldwide after the Pont des Arts in Paris. Hundreds of locks appeared on the Illawarra’s most photographed coastal drive, each marking an anniversary, proposal, or private pledge.
The tradition drew media attention, including a Channel Nine Today show segment by Mike Dalton (embedded below). Roads and Maritime Services (now Transport for NSW) removed locks with unusual care — measuring, marking, and cataloguing each one so owners could reclaim them.
Why were they removed?
Padlocks on government infrastructure caused real engineering problems:
- Rust and corrosion — metal locks reacting with bridge railings and wire-mesh rock baskets
- Structural damage — weight and corrosion on retaining structures under the footpath, with risk to the road and walkway
- Repeat removals — new locks kept reappearing after each clean-up
After a major removal in 2014 (~150 locks), another ~100 locks had been added by 2017. Transport for NSW removed them in early June 2017, stored unclaimed locks at a depot, and concreted over the mesh cages under the southern footpath later that month to prevent reattachment. Signs now warn that any future locks will be removed without notice.
Channel Nine Today — “The Love Locks of the Illawarra”
Original post — May 2013. Mike Dalton’s report captured the humour and warmth of the removal process — including RMS staff cataloguing locks as “Cupid with dirty hands” and Wollongong councillor Chris Connor suggesting a dedicated installation so couples could attach locks safely in future.
Show transcript of the Today show segment
Well it’s not often that you’ll find government agencies bending over backwards to help celebrate the passion, the glory, the wonder of love. But as Today’s Mike Dalton reports, this is indeed the case with the story of the Love Locks of the Illawarra.
Skirting the escarpment of the New South Wales South Coast is the beautiful Sea Cliff Bridge. And it seems the beauty here has drawn thousands of lovers to this point — to commit to each other by locking an engraved padlock on the bridge’s railings.
Chris & Susan, Grant & Viv, Shaun & Sarah have done so, as have Cookie & Macca, Yihan & Yuwel, Doug & Paul and Peas & Carrots — all declaring their love to the world with a padlocked pledge.
But these padlocks are pledged on government property, and a call has been made for them to go. Brad Turner, regional manager for Roads and Maritime Services: “Don’t you love love, Brad?” “Yes, I love love.” But the problem, he says, is that while the sentiment might be lovely, they after a while maybe don’t look so lovely.
In a somewhat surprising turn of bureaucratic wheels, the removal of the padlocks is being done with the greatest of care. Each padlock is measured, marked, and catalogued by “Watto” Watson and his crew.
Silvia & Neville Brown came down to grab theirs back: “It was put on in 2009 for our 40th wedding anniversary — our daughter bought it for us.”
Councillor Chris Connor from Wollongong City Council: “We could have an installation at some of these very important locations, like here at the Sea Cliff Bridge, so that people visiting can attach their love locks there in total safety.”
And if you and the love of your life left a lock on the bridge, you could claim it back — details were on the Roads and Maritime Services website at the time.
Where can you leave a love lock now?
Wollongong City Council eventually provided a proper alternative. Mount Keira Summit Park has dedicated love-lock chains on the northeast side of the lookout — purpose-built for the tradition, away from safety fencing where locks cause corrosion.
Locks wrongly attached to fencing at Mount Keira are removed and stored at the Wollongong Botanic Garden. Contact the garden on (02) 4227 7667 or email botanicgarden@wollongong.nsw.gov.au if you need to collect a removed lock.
More information: Mount Keira Summit Park and Lookout (Wollongong Botanic Garden).
Please do not attach padlocks to the Sea Cliff Bridge. Transport for NSW will remove them. The bridge is an engineering landmark on a landslip-prone coast — protecting the structure keeps Lawrence Hargrave Drive open for everyone.