SMALL-TOWN GIRLS, MIDNIGHT TRAINS

— travel inspiration for small budgets and big dreams —

travel inspiration for small budgets and big dreams

A 6-km walk under the midday sun probably isn’t top of mind when you think of what to do with kids during a trip. However, there’s a good chance not only will said kid love it, he still won’t be done talking about it a full month after — that is, if you’ve taken him on the beach-cliffs-waves heaven that is the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk.

SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_28 Cliffs Tamarama Beach Bondi Beach L and A

(Or, in our case, the Coogee to Bondi walk.)


Coogee Beach


Although it’s more commonly known as the Bondi to Coogee walk, we decided to take the advice of Sydney Coast Walks and start at Coogee Beach to save the famous Bondi Beach for last.

Coogee made the perfect first impression. Beautiful. Peaceful. We could have stayed here all day.
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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_02 Coogee Beach in Winter

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_01 Coogee Beach

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_04 Coogee Beach Lifeguard Station

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_05 Coogee Beach Children Playing

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(It’s worth noting, however, that we were here on a Friday in June — ie, an Australian winter weekday — so that could account for the absence of crowds.)

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Coogee Beach to Gordon’s Bay


As is said elsewhere, the route is really simple:

  • If you’re heading south from Bondi to Coogee, keep the ocean to your left.
  • If you’re heading north — as we were — from Coogee to Bondi, keep the ocean to your right.

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_06 L and A

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_08 Leafy tunnel

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_09 Sea and vegetation

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_10 Coastal vegetation

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Gordon’s Bay to Clovelly Beach


The walk just seemed to get better and better as we went forward. The unfenced section just before Clovelly Beach was one of my favorites. There were many nooks between the rocks where you could just sit and look at the sea — read a book, have a chat, think…or not think. If I lived in Sydney I think I would spend most of my free time ’round these parts.

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_11 Clouds and colorful stairs

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_12 Lei among the rocks

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_13 L and A

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_14 Clovelly Beach Cliff Clouds and Birds

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_15 Clovelly Beach Car Park Clouds and Birds

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_15 Clovelly Beach Couple Goals

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Clovelly Beach to Bronte Beach


The picturesque boardwalk that skirted Waverley Cemetery was battered by recent storms and ruled not quite safe temporarily. We had to take a minor detour among the headstones and it was at this point that H started to tire a little. He was revived, however, by the spectacle of surfers riding Bronte beach’s big waves.

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_17 Clifftop Bench Couple Goals

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_18 Waverley Cemetery

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_20 Bronte Beach Wave

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_20 Bronte Beach Surf Board

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Tamarama Beach

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No one seems able to mention Tamarama Beach without adding that it’s nicknamed “Glamarama” because it’s a favorite of local celebrities. Except for a couple of surfers, however, Tamarama was deserted when we walked past. The views from its surrounding cliffs make you feel like everything’s all right with the world.

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Bondi Beach

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Finally we negotiated the last few curves of the coast, past rocks gorgeously hued and shaped…

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…past a man trying his luck…

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…and finally, the famous Bondi Beach.

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SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_33 Bondi Beach Surfer

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The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk was my favorite part of our Sydney trip.

And I would definitely encourage everyone to do it. Whichever direction you choose to walk it should be fine, though I think we did well to go from Coogee to Bondi, as the cliffs and waves at the Bronte-to-Bondi leg were a spectacular end-of-walk treat. It’s definitely doable with children and seniors! Just take your time. Rest if you need to. There are tons of benches along the way and of course you can always take a dip on the beach. Bring snacks and water. Take as many pictures as you want. And most importantly: enjoy the walk!

SGMT Australia Sydney_Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk_07 Cliffs and flowers

And I think to myself: what a wonderful world!

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13 Responses

  1. Wonderful photographs! Your post brought back memories of when I lived in Sydney as a teenager. I remember sitting on the rocks between Tamarama and Bondi and eating oysters that were right there on the rocks. I lived in Bondi for a while back then.
    Alison

    1. Hi Irene. You should definitely do it! It took us around 4 hours but that was with a kid and a lot of stops, especially near the end.

  2. Hi. First of all, thank you for that wonderful blog. I would like to ask how long it will take to do the bondi-coogee coastal walk? Will definitely read the rest of your Sydney tour posts. 🙂

    1. Hi Marjorie! It’s only around 6 km so at a brisk walk, it should take less than 2 hours. (It took us 4 hours because we were walking with a kid and we often stopped for pics/breaks.) 🙂

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