Sydney is a stunningly beautiful city

Other than its famous Opera House, I really did not plan what I would see and do in Sydney. Since we had fabulous weather, I decided to do the coastal walk from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach.

This is a spectacular walk and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It is a 6 kilometre walk along a coastal boardwalk. There are no cars, no bicycles. You only have to watch for joggers and runners. The boardwalk is very clean and well maintained. We did not see any litter.

I carried water for the walk but I didn’t need to. There are fountains all along the route, usually at the top of a staircase when you most need a drink and a rest.

We took at least 3 hours on the walk, as I stopped to take a million pictures. Each view was more stunning than the previous.

We took a city bus to get from downtown Sydney to Coogee Beach. We then walked to Bondi Beach and took a bus back to the city.

We bought our bus passes at 7-Eleven. Bus #373 took us directly to Coogee Beach, its final stop on the run. It took about half an hour. Most sites recommend a combo train/bus route but the bus was easy with no changes.

Most sites also recommend that you walk from Bondi to Coogee. I don’t know why.

We took Bus #333 from Bondi back to the city.

The cost of this trip was 2 bus tickets each. It was a fabulous experience.

This is Coogee Beach

We got off the bus right at Coogee Beach. It was mid morning on a spring day. It was a quiet day for the beach and a perfect day for our walk.

There is a memorial for the Australian victims of the Bali bombing

As we came to the top of a hill overlooking Coogee Beach, we came across a memorial for the victims of the Bali bombing. A service was planned to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the tragic event.

There is a beautiful sculpture dedicated to those who were killed or injured. The plaque explains that this is a tribute to the Australian spirit of courage and endurance.

This is a beautiful place to commemorate the tragic loss of young lives.

This is Clovelly Beach

As we left the Bali memorial behind, we continued around a corner and found a beautiful protected beach.

We ventured beyond the boardwalk

After Clovelly Beach, the boardwalk heads inland for a stretch. We decided to be a bit more adventurous and find our own path along the shore. There were a few dog walkers out there so surely it must be safe!

Big Mistake to venture off the boardwalk!

We hit an impasse and had to retrace our steps back to the boardwalk at Clovelly Beach

This is the view over Clovelly Beach

After we found our way back to the boardwalk, we looked back over Clovelly beach.

If you look closely, you will notice a swimming pool built right along the beach.

A diversion on the boardwalk took us past the Lawn Bowling Club

With a view like this, I might take up lawn bowling!

This view of Gordon’s Bay is one of my favourite views on the walk

Gordon’s Bay is a tiny bay that is accessible only by foot or boat.

I have never seen ocean water this green!

Would you take an Underwater Nature Trail?

The Underwater Nature Trail in Gordon’s Bay is marked by 600 metres of chain, held in place by 49 drums filled with concrete. The trail takes about 40 minutes to swim.

Before you decide if you want to take the Underwater Trail, you might want to study the picture of fish you might encounter on your swim.

A spotted wobbegong shark is front and centre in this photo of the marine life in Gordon’s Bay

I do not want to swim with the sharks.

We walked around Gordon’s Bay. We did not swim across it.

Would you go fishing here?

The coastal boardwalk took us through Waverley Cemetery

This is a beautiful cemetery with thousands of white marble headstones.

This sculpture if part of the annual Sculpture by the Sea exhibition

Sculpture by the Sea is the largest free sculpture exhibition in the world.

This is the view from the area where the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition is held

In this photo, you can see a beautiful natural rock pool in the ocean

When I think of Australia, I think of sun, sand, surf and surfers

There are lots of surfers in all the beaches between Coogee and Bondi.

Can you spot the little surfer in this photo?

I watched this little surfer for a few minutes. She fell off her board every few seconds. She just got back up and tried again.

Can you see the surfers in this photo, waiting for the perfect wave?

Can you picture yourself here?

The boardwalk runs right along the edge of the cliff

Common sense protects you on the boardwalk from Coogee to Bondi. There are no warning signs.

I was amazed by the number of people who ventured close to the edge to catch that perfect selfie.

Would you crawl to the edge of the cliff to look over?

Do you know what he saw? Crashing surf hundreds of feet below. I did not need to crawl to the edge to see below.

After crawling to the edge, he decided it was safe to stroll along the edge of the cliff

These tourists want the perfect selfies

Can you picture yourself catching this selfie?

Selfies are for the birds

The only one who should be taking selfies from the rocks is this bird. He has a natural escape plan.

We took selfies under the cliffs … much more interesting

The beach houses from Coogee to Bondi are spectacular

This is a view of the famous saltwater pools at the Bondi Icebergs Club

As we rounded the final turn to Bondi Beach, we saw the famous Bondi pools. Anyone can swim here. The admission is $6.50.

When the surf is heavy, it crashes over the side of the pool.

I took this picture from the restaurant that overlooks the pool.

Unfortunately, Thursday is cleaning day and the pool was closed. Next time!

Check out the hours for the pool at the site for the Bondi Icebergs Club: https://icebergs.com.au/

View from the Bondi Icebergs Club Restaurant

The restaurant was closed when we arrived but the manager did not mind us wandering around. He was taking pictures of his favourite wines. He was happy to let me snap a few. We did not stop for a sample. After a 3 hour walk in the sun, wine is not a good idea!

This is Bondi Beach

The colours of the water from Coogee to Bondi are real. They range from the palest sea-foam greens to the deepest blues. The colours remind me of the most vibrant opals, another treasure of Australia.

Bondi blue iMac

Trivia:

The original iMac introduced by Steve Jobs in 1998, the Bondi blue, is named after the colour of the water at Bondi Beach. This is the computer that saved Apple and reimagined the personal computer.

Be careful of the rip currents at Bondi Beach

The rip currents at Bondi lie just beneath the surface of the water. They do not announce their presence with crashing surf. A gentle ripple on the top of the water is that only signal that a strong, narrow current runs directly out to sea, like a powerful river in an ocean.

The lifeguards are very busy. On an average Sunday in summer, Bondi Beach draws crowds of 35,000 people. Lifeguards are called to action about 100 times on those crowded Sundays. Over the summer, they typically perform 5,000 rescues.

The lifeguards did not have to rescue me because I did not venture into the water. Should have! Next time!