Beyond Here lies Nothing

When the white man first set foot upon Sydney’s eastern seaboard, he might’ve been surprised to find the native people of Australia already here. The Aborigine knew this stretch of sand simply as 'bondi'. Loosely translated, ‘the sound of breaking water’.

Before they were driven out by the colonists, the Aboriginal people used the beach area as a massive tool-making facility, using materials from the volcanic trenches that inundated the coastline. We know this, because somewhere in the 1930’s, a severe cyclonic storm drove back the sand dunes, unearthing the rock floor with its treasure trove of Aboriginal artifacts. Later, at the turn of the century, the word bondi and its ethereal blue-green hue signaled the second coming of Apple Inc. The bondi blue iMac, with its translucent geek coolth, captured the hearts and minds of global youth, ready to surf the freshly-minted world wide web. 

Bondi Beach

The iconic Bondi Icebergs Club

No trip to Sydney is complete without a visit to its iconic Bondi beach front. A paradise of golden sand, blue-green water, and armies of surfer dudes riding the crests of waves breaking deep into the shoreline, like modern day Vikings. But Bondi to Coogee coastal walk? This 6.5 km walk of moderate difficulty promised to be ‘the greatest coastal walk on the Pacific seaboard’. After due consideration, my wife and I decided to spend our Bondi beach day doing more than just spending the entire day on the main beach front, but actually checking this out.

Getting to Bondi beach from central Sydney is easy. We used the Sydney Metro to ride into Bondi station from the Town Hall area, and were ushered seamlessly into a bus that rode us through the scenic neighborhood right up to the beach front. That first sight of Bondi beach is special. The perfect cusp, the golden sand, the majestic cliff-side setting is all very fine, but what sets this beach truly apart is embedded into its name. It is only now that one realizes that the colour of these waters does indeed merit a name of its own. 

It was an early October morning when we visited. The winter season was winding down, and warmer waters were beginning to flow in from the South Pacific. We spent a leisurely hour relaxing on this beach, enjoying the sunshine and the water. On one end of the beach stood the Bondi Iceberg Club, with its fabulous infinity pool, where a small fee allowed all comers to enjoy a swim. Although we never did, I strongly recommend it. Our agenda, of course, was to walk from Bondi to Coogee, with several pit stops along the way.

The Bondi Icebergs Club is effectively the starting point for this walk. The path is concretized along the cliff, and although it involves climbing up and down stairs cut into cliff sides, it is a properly developed walking track all the way. Imagine a perfect gym walking track along a cliff, with sweeping ocean views on one side, and rock overhangs and aboriginal engravings on the other, and you’re somewhere close. Every now and then, the rock formations jut out into the ocean to create coves. Here and there, keen anglers can be spotted sitting patiently alert, atop some such rock that juts out into sea. The rock overhangs bear evidence of aboriginal cave art, although the ocean spray has washed away much of it over the centuries.

The first stretch lasts about 1.2 kms, sweeping around a cove and emerging near the Tamarama clubhouse.  As we keep walking from Tamarama towards Bronte beach, we cross a small inlet called Mackenzies Bay, where surfers are at large. Some of the best surfing waves along this stretch of coast are found right here at Mackenzie’s Point. We can sense that this is a preferred surfing destination going by the sheer number of bronzed surfers who hog this part of coast, and their high skill levels. We descend down onto the sands and waters at Bronte beach. There is a rock pool at one end of the beach. It is a very unique pool indeed. Sort of like a salt water swimming pool, with sea water and a rock bottom. The locals call it Bogey Hole.

An angler's Paradise

Surfers on Tamarama Beach

Two bronzed Surfers at Mackenzies Point

Natural pools at The Bogey Hole

Beyond the rock pool at Bronte, one has to climb stairs and cross a short stretch across a parking area to continue on the trail. Fortunately, the signage is very good, and easy to follow. Once back on the trail, we start to ascend cliffs that offer quite majestic views of the entire sweeping coastline, from Bondi all the way up to Coogee and beyond. As we keep ascending, along the next curve we find ourselves at, wonder of wonders, a cemetery. Along the cliff, in what should definitely rank as one of the more picturesque settings for a burial ground, lies the Waverly cemetery. It is worth spending some time here. We cannot help doing so. The silence of the gravestones against the blue beyond of the Pacific creates an Ozymandias moment that can only be broken by the mid-jog conversation of a trio of hunks around something more corporeal. We return on the trail to reach Clovelly, the next mini-stop on the circuit.

A sombre Pacific lookout

Waverly Cemetery

The Clovelly beach is pretty unique as well. Between two rocky ridges, a narrow bay runs deep into the mainland to create a cove. Clovelly beach is a favourite snorkeling destination, and also famous for being the home of one of the world’s first surf life-saving clubs, founded in 1906. The Bondi Surf Bather’s Life Saving Club, wearing their distinctive red and yellow quarters, began to prevent swimming disasters back then, and definitely played a part in making swimming out on sea a family sport in modern society. Their contribution was immortalized in the events of 1938’s ‘Black Sunday’, when three freak waves swept hundreds of people from Bondi beach out to sea. The lifesavers rescued 300 people in what remains the largest rescue operation in the history of surf bathing.

Bronte Beach balance lessons

Dusk at Coogee Bay

The sun has now begun its downward descent, and we want to catch the sunset at Coogee. So, we soldier on past Clovelly, crossing the Clovelly Bowling Club, and still more hidden coves and pristine stretches on the one side, luxury villas dotting the other. Clearly, the Bondi to Coogee stretch is the playground of the rich and famous in the Southern hemisphere, housing literally Australia’s Who’s Who along this six kilometre stretch. 1.8 kms further along, we see the wineglass shape of Coogee’s beach front open up as the sun gloriously touches down. We have left too little time to explore Coogee beach within daylight hours, but that does not deter us from walking up to the shoreline. Dusk cannot be more graceful in its measured advent. We finally sit down on the sandy Coogee beach, our walk now completed.

Later, as we explore the beach-facing promenade, we realize that Coogee is certainly no distant outpost. Plenty of options abound, whether you’d prefer a tipple or two, or even if you wish to head straight into dinner. We opted for a specialist seafood place, offering a significant gamut of Pacific marine life on a plate. Scallops went well with shallots, and pink trout left little doubt that the local black mussels were well worth the hustle. Seriously, do try the seafood in these parts. It’s fresh, light, and cooked unpretentiously. Like most things in Australia, what you see is what you get.

As we boarded the bus back into the city, I was left thinking just how much we covered in one day at Bondi, and yet only just scraped the surface. Isn’t that what a great destination should be like? Whether you spend a day here, or a leisurely month, Bondi beach and the Pacific shoreline will have you come back for more.