Sydney Adventures - Bondi to Coogee Walk

A few weeks ago, Em and I went on a 48 hour adventure to the Sydney region, about 2 hours drive down from the Central Coast where Em lives - but since we took the car, we decided to stay in a cute little area called Coogee, about 30 minutes from Sydney CBD. Another reason we chose to stay there was because of a coastal walk route that Em had been wanting to do for a while, so this was the perfect opportunity!

Incredible Coastline Views

The walk is about six kilometres, extending from North Bondi to Coogee Beach featuring stunning ocean views, towering sandstone cliffs and crashing waves as far as you can see. Golden sand beaches, parks, rock pools, cliffs and bays - true Aussie beach culture at every turn! From one end to the other Google Maps suggests it would take about an hour, however it took us between 1.5 - 2 hours, this was at a comfortable pace and stopping regularly to enjoy the incredible views.

The Whole Track Outline

We started the day super early and left our hotel in Coogee at 5:30am with the hope to catch sunrise at Bondi Beach, where we would park the car and then walk back to our hotel for breakfast after. Little did we know, parking at Bondi is outrageously expensive and very scarce, especially because it’s the middle of summer. So we drove to Bronte and parked in one of the back streets behind Waverly Cemetery (where free parking is permitted), from there it was a 5 minute walk down to the beach. This is where we would start our walk by heading south, in the direction of the famous Bondi Beach! It was almost a blessing in disguise being able to walk around the final corner and see the sweeping white-sand and rolling waves at one of Australia’s most iconic beaches!

Bondi Beach

Em admiring The View - Bondi Beach

The entire coastline and all the beaches are stunning but for me the real stand out attraction along this stretch was the Ocean Pool at Bronte Beach. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, a saltwater rock pool for swimming and sun baking. At high tide the waves come crashing over the rocks to fill up the pool and make you believe you are really in the ocean! The pool is only about 30 meters long and when we were there (at around 6am) there was a couple of locals doing their morning laps.

Whether you’re walking Coogee to Bondi or Bondi to Coogee you’ll pass through about 5 different places to swim. From Bondi, the first swim spot is Tamarama Beach- with about 80 metres of shoreline and great surfing conditions, it’s not a bad place for a quick dip. About 500 metres (7 minutes) from here and you’ll be at Bronte Beach. The entire distance from Bondi Beach to Bronte Beach is 2.5km one way (1.5 miles) and it is and incredibly popular route if you wanted to experience this gorgeous coastline but didn’t want to walk the whole route. From Bronte the next swim spot would be Clovelly Beach which is about 1.5km, to get there though you’ll pass by Waverly Cemetery- which, in my opinion, is one of the most unique and beautiful cemeteries I’ve ever seen. After Clovelly is the secluded oasis, Gordons Bay. Hidden less than 1km north of Coogee Beach and only accessible by this coastal walk, it is definitely worth the visit! When you arrive at Coogee Beach, there are a plethora of laid-back pubs & bars on the beachfront where you can enjoy some food or a drink and relax on the sand, taking in the incredible views.

Walking Track

Approaching Waverly Cemetery

If you’re heading to the East Coast of Australia, or live in the city or ever want to venture to the area, I would recommend going on this coastal walk because it was the perfect way for us to start the day! Enjoyable views throughout, couple of gorgeous beaches along the way incase you get hot, and water stations along the way too to keep you hydrated! On that note, I would recommend going either morning or late afternoon in case its hot throughout the day! Another tip; check the tide times to make sure that you can go for a swim in those tidal pools - and DON’T go to Bondi Ice Bergs on Thursdays as they are shut for cleaning!