My favourite thing in Sydney has been the seaside. Not the bathing part (between rip currents and the rich choice of marine stingers and biters, I enjoyed very cautiously my first dip in the South Pacific), but walking by the sea on the wonderful Bondi to Bronte coastal walk.

It’s roughly 2,5 km long, with some ups and downs on stairs and slopes, and we found that the best light for this walk was closer to the sunset, when the land is golden and the ocean topaz blue. And also, we walked the other way around, because we lived at Bronte, so we headed north.

First time we took a stroll the weather was quite windy. (Almost) not a living soul in the water, everybody complying with the beach safety signs.

Really surprised even the seagulls could read.

But the next day… what is happening? Where is the order? Where is the compliance?

Still there, but now you could swim in the area designated by the red-yellow flags.

Bronte

Bronte beach was my favourite spot. It had a green park buzzing with late summer nonchalance, it was surrounded by cafes and restaurants, the sandy part looked like a croissant when seen from above, and it had the amazing Bronte Baths, the only place I felt relaxed enough to swim. And I’m not even talking about the artificial pool, but the natural tidal pool, with a big boulder barrier against… erm… waves, of course.

Tamarama

Squished in an elongated bay, Tamarama beach is not really good for swimming, because it has rip currents, and it is deemed to be one of the most dangerous beaches in Sydney. Great for surfing though, and to hang out at a picnic, bbq or volleyball game, or just sunbathe while gawking at the surfers.

A little more than a century ago that place used to look completely different. Swimming was barely beginning to become - not even a thing, more like… allowed, as long as you were decently clothed. Secondly, surfing was to be introduced a little later, in 1915, via Hawaiian connection. So what could people be doing at the seaside, then? Two words: funfair!

The Royal Aquarium and Pleasure Grounds, had, besides a wondrous aquarium, a balloon ascent (descent by parachute for the daredevils), fireworks, a high wire walker, merry-go-rounds, a military band, skating rinks, swings, dancing, music and all the fun you could take. Plus the awesome Switchback Railway, a rollercoaster that hurtled from cliff to cliff, above the beach. Also known as the Bondi Aquarium, it was sold and reopened in early 1900s as the gigantic Wonderland, the largest fair ground in the Southern hemisphere.

Despite being nicknamed, on account of its popularity and habitués, Glamarama or Dramarama, not much real circus is now going on. But its neighbouring coast offers some excellent view points over the bay.

A little higher up north there are also some aboriginal stone carvings. There are many on the coast, we only spotted the stingray/whale/sharky-looking one:

Mackenzies beach

It is said that once every 7 years the ocean pulls back and reveals for several weeks a little sandy beach, right next to Tamarama point. We did not happen to go there in the lucky septennial time, but it is reported that it’s usually here:

Bondi

As you walk past Mackenzies Point and Marks Park (if you happen there around October, you will be lucky to see the ever-changing ‘Sculptures by the Sea’ seasonal expo), the golden view subsides, the path sinks closer to the sea level and the particular aspect of the cliffs becomes more apparent. It’s the Sydney Sandstone, also known as yellowblock, characteristic to the area, construction material of many buildings in the city, constantly sculpted by the wind and sea.

And then, just as you approach Bondi Beach, this happens:

Bondi Icebergs

One of the most recognisable, iconic spot on the Sydney coast is the Iceberg Club’s winter pool. Originally opened (some 90 years ago) for the local lifesavers to keep fit in winter time, it was an exclusively male sports club until 1995. Now anyone can swim there for a small fee, but it is still a swimmers club, with regulations and traditions.

One of these is that when cold weather comes, the winter swimming season is opened with one ton of ice dumped in the pool. Apparently done by hand :) Photo 1, photo 2.

Finally, Bondi beach. Long and wide and not very spectacular. Lots of eating & drinking opportunities in the area.

While Bondi to Bronte is the cool part of the main Sydney coastal walk, it is actually only about half of it.

The extended version is Bondi to Coogee walk, and it’s about 6 km long.

Click to see it larger or just head over to Google Maps and see the bigger picture — *Click to see it larger or just head over to Google Maps and* see the bigger picture (link)

Bronte to Coogee Walk

The other, less spectacular half, from Bronte down south, is 3,4 km long, starting at the same lovely Bronte Baths, which also have a very long history back and which too have been the winter swimming pool of the local life saver club, the Bronte Splashers.

First stop, Waverly cemetery by the sea. Maybe you should save it for a proper visit, it’s so large and beautiful you will spend there an hour easily. We certainly did. More photos coming soon.

Then, an urban walk in the adjacent neighbourhood, because there’s no more coastal path. It returns to the shore just in time to go around Clovelly, a deep sandy beach, with a long bay and also featuring a swimming pool.

The not so spectacular Gordons bay has boats, a tiny bouldery beach, then on the rocky plateau things seem to get scorched occasionally, a surprising view for someone unaccustomed to things spontaneously combusting.

The walk ends in the fluffy sands of Coogee beach, which is flat, wide and kind of chockers. We went for a quick swim, “selfied” (is that a verb already?) in front of the “Watch out for blue bottles” sign (the jellyfish, aka floating terror) and quickly left in search of a darker bottle, containing any of the exceptional craft beers Australia is so abundantly and successfully producing. Which we found at the local bottle-o and drank under a brolly at a respectful distance, because ‘no glass on the beach’, remember that rule, ok?