The bomb squad rushed to Sydney's CBD on Thursday only to discover that a package left under a motorcycle was an innocuous tackle box full of fishing gear.

Phillip Street went into lockdown around noon (AEDT) after a passerby noticed the box resting among a row of motorcycles parked outside the NSW Rugby League Headquarters. A number of buildings were evacuated in the area, including the Queens Square tower housing courtrooms for the NSW Supreme Court and the Federal Court.

The street was closed off between Martin Place and King Street to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Courier Matthew Smith had identified the item when police rushed in to clear the area. "It's like a tackle box but it had a padlock on it," Mr Smith told AAP. "I was in the middle of a job, I've got a tonne of boxes in the street. They (police) told us to stop and come to the end of the street."

Sniffer dogs, the bomb squad and a pack of police cars and rescue trucks were on the scene for over an hour while the tackle box was carefully examined without being disturbed. Meanwhile, lawyers from the court building stood on the pavement working on their legal papers and crowds gathered at the edges of the exclusion zone.

"A decision was taken to move some people from the location," Inspector Pat Morris told reporters at the scene. "We don't let the area be open to the public unless we're 100 per cent sure that it is safe to do so."

About 1.20pm, a bomb squad officer returned from the scene in a relaxed state, carrying the box in his hand. After examination, it was determined a forgetful fisherman was to blame for the false alarm.

"It was examined and found to be items consistent with fishing," Insp Morris said. Police did not know who the tackle box belonged to and did not find anything inside that identified its owner. The street was reopened and police left the scene a short time later.

http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=557628