The walk
The Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk is an attraction that I had heard about before coming to Australia and immediately put at the top of my bucket list. It’s a 6 km long journey with five beaches to stop at and lots of breathtaking views in between. I think the intention is to walk from Bondi to Coogee, but Alexa and I wanted to end up at Bondi so we started at Coogee (most people were walking in the opposite direction so navigating which side of the sidewalk to walk on was its own challenge- they walk on the left here but even when I stick to that I find myself bumping into other pedestrians so I really don’t know). It seems like the walk is more physically challenging going in the direction we did because we definitely went up more stairs than down, but Ariana and Lauren did it the proper way and they seem to disagree! Here is an overview of all of the beaches and some highlights from the day!
Coogee Beach
Coogee Beach is probably my favorite of them all. Not quite as famous as Bondi but still very busy, there’s a perfect mix of sand and grassy expanse to lay on. I noticed a lot more families with young children here than at the other beaches but I’m not sure if that’s the norm. We decided to take a swim at the Giles Baths at the north end. I was expecting a Greco-Roman public bath situation or potentially a pool but this was not that. It was essentially a small inlet with lots of flora, slippery moss lining the rocks (I almost fell a few times), and massive waves crashing onto the sandstone boulders that lined the baths. Another fun surprise was that these baths- unlike some of the other ocean pools around Sydney- were completely free! I jumped into the water but got a little bit freaked out by the fish and sliminess so I got out after just a few minutes. I would love to come back soon and pick out a nice big rock to spend an afternoon on.
Clovelly Beach
Underrated in my opinion, Clovelly is quite unique! It seems to be the most narrow shoreline and it almost had the vibe of a waterpark wave pool with concrete walkways lining the sea. Something that a lot of these beaches have in common that I haven’t seen before is that they have options to bask on surfaces that aren’t sand, this one having concrete platforms and massive rocky areas like the one pictured below. I think this provides a nice option for the days you don’t want to be covered in sand but still want to enjoy the beach atmosphere. I also like that this is a cove style beach so it feels really contained and much more private.
Bronte Beach
Alexa and I met up with Jackson, Stella, and Maddie at Bronte. I had my first acai bowl since arriving in Australia from the Oakberry right off the beach and it was delicious- the base itself is super flavorful, way better than Playa Bowls in my opinion, and the peanut butter was amazing, very natural-tasting. When I went to the bathroom a fight broke out between a big group of teenage boys and an older man. I found out that the boys were throwing water on him for no reason. He started beating one of them up and then threw a chair which I narrowly missed and would have probably been hit by if I didn’t hear the commotion and turn around. The cops were called and the man wouldn’t stop shouting. The man said something about the boys being racist. It reminded me of the Cronulla Riot that we learned about in Aussie Life- a tragic incident involving anti-Middle Eastern violence in 2005.
Tamarama Beach
We ran into Ariana, Lauren, and a few of our other friends at Tamarama. I waded while I watched Lauren swim in the waves. I got pulled out to sea by a rip tide and had to be rescued by a life guard a few years ago so ever since then I’ve been leery of going in the water, and the waves and current here are known to be very strong. By this point I was pretty tired and ready to be done – we had been out in the hot sun for over 3 hours!
Bondi Beach
We ended at Bondi Beach. I think this beach definitely feels the most tourist-y out of all of them. It has the longest shoreline and the biggest town surrounding it, and every time I come here it’s very crowded. The photo-worthy landmark of this beach is definitely the Icebergs ocean pool, something I’m excited to check out another day. We got frozen yogurt from Yo-Chi and I think my life was changed forever. It was one of the best things I’ve ever tasted with warm Nutella, chocolate chip cookie dough, and fresh strawberries on their Signature Tart flavored yogurt. There’s much more to do here and it’s super close to where we’re staying- only about 15 minutes on the bus and a nice 30 minute walk- so I’ve been here the most. We’ve tried out Pocket for some fun drinks, Mapo for fantastic gelato, S’wich for deli sandwiches, and more. Some people say that Bondi is overrated being the most well known but I can’t call anything in Sydney overrated when it’s all so perfect. Every day I find myself in awe of the natural beauty all around me that I am so thankful to be able to experience. I think it’s perfectly rated.
