Bondi to Coogee Walk

Ever since coming to Australia, I’ve been wanting to do the Bondi to Coogee walk. On my day off two weeks ago, I finally went through with it.

For those who don’t know, there’s a long coastal trail in Sydney, Australia from Bondi to Coogee Beach that everyone does. It’s like a “when in Sydney” thing.

It took me a while to edit content for this blog because I took a whole lot of photos, but without further ado, here’s my experience with the famous walk!

Getting There

I woke up nice and early at 6am, got ready and left home at 7am. I took a bus for around 40mins I would say. I’m not a morning person at all, but there was a café I really wanted to go to for breakfast. I was afraid it might get crowded so I decided to go early.

Up South Bondi

I started my day with breakfast at the trending café Up South Bondi. They’re well known on social media for their strawberry matcha and crookies. Since I’m not too fond of sweet things in the morning, I decided to skip those. I had their regular iced matcha and shakshuka instead. The iced matcha was refreshing on a hot day, and the shakshuka was absolutely amazing.

As for the wait time, I was seated and able to order straight away. There were plenty of empty tables at 8am, so I definitely recommend going early on a weekday. I heard that lots of people line up during weekends and busier hours.

The staff there were lovely. They were so attentive and even gave me complimentary watermelon slices after I finished my food!

The café itself had a cozy, beachy vibe, and when I visited, their Christmas decorations were up, adding a cute festive touch. I’d definitely go back to try their strawberry matcha and crookies next time.

Starting Point

I left Up South at around 9am and started walking toward Bondi Beach. Since I began my little adventure at the café, I had to hop onto the coastal trail first to reach the beach. Along the way, I passed through Hunter Park, which offered a great view of the ocean and featured some intriguing abstract sculptures.

When I first got on the trail I was in awe because it was so pretty! From where I started, I had a clear view of Bondi Beach.

Here are my first shots from the trail:

I didn’t get close enough to see what (if anything) was written on the plaque, but I thought it was a cool rock. I have no idea what it’s called but I am curious so if anyone knows please leave a message or comment below!

Okay, so back to Bondi Beach. Personally, it’s one of my favorite beaches. It’s easy to access, and the vibes feel quintessentially Australian. That said, it can get pretty hectic with all the surfing lessons and lifeguard training happening. Overall, though, it was very beautiful, and I managed to capture some great shots.

As I mentioned earlier, I passed through the Bondi Icebergs swimming club on my way to the beach. The pool water looked so icy and refreshing I was very tempted to jump in.

Tamarama Beach

The next beach I came across was Tamarama Beach. This one was my favourite of the five I passed. It’s small and tucked away without a lot of people around. If you’re looking for a lowkey beach hangout without crowds, this is the beach for you.

Oh, before reaching Tamarama Beach, I passed a really pretty spot called Mackenzies Point (at least I think that’s what it’s called, I’m not entirely sure).

I’ll upload some photos I took here for reference since it’s part of the trail:

Bronte Beach

Next up, Bronte Beach! Compared to the previous Tamarama Beach, this one was larger. It wasn’t very crowded and had a lovely little park right next to it. It felt like a more relaxed, toned down version of Bondi Beach lol. Very charming spot.

Waverly Cemetery

A cemetery on the cliffs in between Bronte and Clovelly Beach. Having lived in Asia for most of my life, I had never seen a Western style cemetery before, and it turned out to be such a fascinating experience. I took a few photos but I’m only going to share one as a form of respect for the dead.

As you can see there was a great big sign. The cemetery overlooks the ocean, with a constant gentle breeze which added to its atmosphere. My ideal burial spot in the future.

Clovelly Beach

My least favourite beach to date. I don’t really like when beaches look “artificial” and this one was the definition of that. It had concrete platforms on both side of the water which made it feel more like a pool than a beach. The beach itself was fine but it was a bit crowded on the platforms.

Gordon’s Bay

Probably the prettiest body of water I saw that day, so clear and vibrant. I saw a lot of people with snorkeling and diving gear. I read that there’s a beautiful underwater trail there! Also spotted lots of fishing boats parked on the shore.

Final Destination: Coogee Beach

I finally arrived at Coogee Beach at around 1pm. It took me rougly 3.5 hours to get there from Bondi Beach. Keep in mind that I made a lot of stops along the way, including a 20 minute break at a cliff’s edge, so for someone looking to just exercise it’ll probably take a lot less time.

This beach had a lot of grassy area that I thought would be perfect for picnics. It was large and bustling, much like Bondi Beach, but with fewer surfers (or at least that’s what it seemed like to me). And there was a big rainbow.

I was initially planning on walking back to Bondi but I was so tired by the time I reached Coogee that I decided to quit and go eat lunch instead. I was genuinely so worn out and sunburnt. I learned not to underestimate the Australian sun (even with sunscreen on). My skin is still peeling from the sun damage from that day lol plus my eyes were red for like a whole two or three days.

Solar Café

My lunch spot that I found on Google Maps! Had to walk a bit from Coogee Beach, but totally worth it. The café was a quaint little place with adorable decorations. When I arrived, there was only one other customer seated, so I was able to order right away. I tried their iced chai latte and smashed avo (which I believe was called Solar Avo on the menu). It was very yum :)) made me so happy after such a long walk.

Final Thoughts & Advice

Thank you all for reading this far!

I personally really enjoyed the coastal trail from Bondi to Coogee Beach. The views were fantastic, and while there wasn’t much shade along the way, the cool breeze kept it from feeling too hot. I highly recommend this trail if you ever get the chance as it’s not every day you can hit five beaches in one go!

Just a quick tip: bring a water bottle. There are public water fountains along the trail where you can refill them. You’ll get dehydrated quickly in the sun so best be prepared. Also, apply sunscreen frequently unless you want peeling skin like I had (lesson learned). Sunglasses are a must too; red, sunburned eyes were not a good look on me.

by The Nene Magazine