Friday, January 1st
With a late start after last night's revels we took buses and a short train ride to one of the eastern beaches, Coogee. With its deep sweep of sand and plenty of green space for barbecues and games it is a very popular place and the start of a lovely walk along the coastal path.
Rock pools, man made ocean pools, are very popular on many of Sydney's beaches and provide a safe place to swim for those who are nervous about swimming in the ocean, and Coogee has one at both ends of the beach, one of them open to the surf.
Following the path, marked as a city walk as these coastal areas are all suburbs of Sydney, we came to a deep, rocky bay where we noticed a police launch, several ambos (ambulance men) and other officials and apparently they were all on alert as a Facebook message had gone out about a party on the beach. With the rocky outcrops and steep drops there was a genuine concern for safety and an alcohol ban was in force.
I find I am beginning to run out of superlatives ; this coastal path was so beautiful that it is almost impossible to describe. Clovelly beach is no exception. It is a concrete edged ocean channel with sand at the tip, but set amongst the cliffs it is a safe and popular place for families. On the far side is the entrance to Gordon Bay underwater nature trail, a 500m underwater chain guiding dives past reefs and kelp forests.
The amazing Waverley cemetery spans the whole of the next bay, what more fabulous resting place?
Possibly the most famous beach in the world , Bondi is a place where the ocean and land collide in great foaming swells, the waves (for surfing) are consistently good and the water temperature averages 21 degrees C. It is full of young, trendy, sporty types, lots of posers, and was absolutely packed, but we spent an interesting time watching those around us. Unfortunately I didn't have a swim because the waves were too strong and in fact the lifeguards were trying to get everyone out of the water. Why some people continually ignored their warnings is a mystery to me; a very unfit looking Chinese man had to be rescued and the lifeguard we spoke to asked why people insisted on getting themselves drowned! However, I fulfilled an ambition to go to Bondi so it was a great day and we made our way home via the ferry from Watson Bay.
A fabulous day and don't remember many walks which have been so staggeringly beautiful.
With a late start after last night's revels we took buses and a short train ride to one of the eastern beaches, Coogee. With its deep sweep of sand and plenty of green space for barbecues and games it is a very popular place and the start of a lovely walk along the coastal path.
Rock pools, man made ocean pools, are very popular on many of Sydney's beaches and provide a safe place to swim for those who are nervous about swimming in the ocean, and Coogee has one at both ends of the beach, one of them open to the surf.
Following the path, marked as a city walk as these coastal areas are all suburbs of Sydney, we came to a deep, rocky bay where we noticed a police launch, several ambos (ambulance men) and other officials and apparently they were all on alert as a Facebook message had gone out about a party on the beach. With the rocky outcrops and steep drops there was a genuine concern for safety and an alcohol ban was in force.
I find I am beginning to run out of superlatives ; this coastal path was so beautiful that it is almost impossible to describe. Clovelly beach is no exception. It is a concrete edged ocean channel with sand at the tip, but set amongst the cliffs it is a safe and popular place for families. On the far side is the entrance to Gordon Bay underwater nature trail, a 500m underwater chain guiding dives past reefs and kelp forests.
The amazing Waverley cemetery spans the whole of the next bay, what more fabulous resting place?
There are several famous Australians buried there but we didn't go to look for the graves as we were anxious to get to our next spot, one I just had to visit, Bronte beach!
Apologies for the poor photo but the sun was so bright I couldn't see the settings, and just had to include one. It is a steep sided beach stretching up from a grassy park strewn with picnic tables and barbecues. It lays claim to the oldest life saving club in the world (1903) I have to admit though that it was not the famous literary sorority which gave it the name, but Lord Nelson, also the Duke of Bronte. We sat beneath the pines eating the delicious sandwiches from the local shop....
Following the tiny but deceptively dangerous beach of Tanamara, we came to one of the most famous rock pools, Icebergs
And, on the other side, our destination, Bondi Beach!
Possibly the most famous beach in the world , Bondi is a place where the ocean and land collide in great foaming swells, the waves (for surfing) are consistently good and the water temperature averages 21 degrees C. It is full of young, trendy, sporty types, lots of posers, and was absolutely packed, but we spent an interesting time watching those around us. Unfortunately I didn't have a swim because the waves were too strong and in fact the lifeguards were trying to get everyone out of the water. Why some people continually ignored their warnings is a mystery to me; a very unfit looking Chinese man had to be rescued and the lifeguard we spoke to asked why people insisted on getting themselves drowned! However, I fulfilled an ambition to go to Bondi so it was a great day and we made our way home via the ferry from Watson Bay.
A fabulous day and don't remember many walks which have been so staggeringly beautiful.
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