Coastal Favorites: Coogee to Bondi Walk

We have yet to make it down to Cronulla, or explore the northern beaches, but we repeat the Coogee to Bondi Walk with some regularity. Having split the hike up over several weekends, walked it in both directions, and been back for Sculpture by the Sea, we share our preferred routes and stops to share.

Other posts in our Walking Sydney’s Coast series:

La Perouse to Malabar
Malabar to Maroubra
Bondi to Watson’s Bay

When we moved to Sydney, we initially stayed at an apartment in Bondi Junction, which is just out of reach of the ocean. Our first weekend adventures was to Bondi beach, and I have been in love with this walk ever since.

I am usually a bit grumpy when we arrive. Travel to the Eastern beaches requires a train AND a bus trip, which often involves the only type of running I dislike, running after busses. Fortunately, it takes no more than 15 minutes into the walk, before I am a whole new person. The salty, sea breeze and crashing waves on rocks allows me to let go of the morning stress, and I think to myself, “this is why we moved to Sydney.” To be so close to world-class, iconic beaches, and still living in the inner-city. We are able to totally immerse ourselves by nature on the weekends, while commuting by bike into the CBD during the week.

The Bondi to Coogee walk, or our preferred order of Coogee to Bondi is different from usual hikes through the woods and along coastal dirt paths. The walk follows a wide, paved path around beaches, past a lawn-bowling club, through a cemetery, and a couple parks, until you arrive at the beautiful and expansive Bondi Beach. While the walk is challenging enough to reward yourself with a big Aussie breakfast, some pork steam buns, and maybe a few specialty eclairs, it is not so intense that you are dripping with sweat when you arrive at your cafe of choice.

The whole walk is 6k start to finish, but there are numerous places to start from if you are short on time, or not ready to commit. Regardless of where you drop in, we recommend finishing at Bondi because it will make catching buses to and from Bondi Junction less stressful.

Coogee

Amenities: Water, Cafes, Pool, Bathroom, ATM

Awesome wide beach that backs up against a park. Perfect for a breakfast picnic! There is also two baths / pools on either side of the beach.  The one pictured below is at the south end of the beach, and it looks a bit more like a pool.  The bath, at the north end, is a pool created by large boulders, and it’s a great place for a dip or to sit and watch the waves crashing against the cliffs and boulders.

Gordon’s Bay

Amenities: None, but it does have an underwater nature trail.

It’s a gem on the coastline, but you will need to bring everything you need with you, or hop over to a neighboring beach. There are lots of big rocks to sit and lay on. The waves are very calm; bring snorkels and experience the underwater self- guided snorkel path.

Clovelly

Amenities: Water, Cafe, Pool, Bathroom

Great for swimming with younger kids, as the pool area is well staffed with life guards. The beach itself is a long channel with the life savers making sure no one washes out to sea. There is a small sand beach, with a playground behind it, and a bus stops right a the park, if you want to shorten the walk a bit.

Bronte

Amenities: Water, Cafe, Pool, Bathroom, ATM

We like to stop at Bronte for some refreshments. We are big fans of Bronte Carlo, which is about a 10 minute walk from the beach (up a very large hill on MacPherson St, FYI), but the huge breakfasts are worth the hike. It is also a great place to start your walk, if you are looking for something a little shorter. We have also had good experiences next to the beach park at Cafe La Plage, which we found to be very family friendly, moderately priced, and quite tasty. There are several other close cafes that offer takeaway and dine-in, as well as several covered picnic areas at the park, but they fill up quickly in the summer.

Tamarama

Amenities: Water, Cafe, Pool, Bathroom

Our favourite stop for swimming and days at the beach. It is a smaller beach, but has enough space for CZ to run around. The cafe and restrooms here are among the newest and nicest on the walk, and there is a filtered water station by the life saving club.  The rips here can be quite strong, but the life guards always let us know when we are approaching the water with CZ, if we need to be extra careful.

Bondi

Amenities: Water, Cafe, Pool, Bathroom, ATM

The iconic Sydney beach! It will likely be packed on holidays and summer weekends, welcoming 40,000 visitors on the busiest days, but it is still worth a visit. Grab a coffee or lunch at the Icebergs restaurant to soak in the views. Buses to Bondi Junction and the city run very frequently, although they can fill up quickly during peak hour.

We are so excited about our newest camera purchase that made our first video, during our walk this past weekend! Bring a little of the Coogee to Bondi walk into your life, and enjoy the spectacular views below!