Date: 5/12/2021
Trip leader: Chloe Jenkins
The route: We met at the Bondi LIfeguard Tower building on Bondi Beach, and then walked from Bondi Beach along the paved path that hugs the coastline to Coogee Beach. We ended up accidentally running into dead ends twice, but it didn’t take long at all for us to realize they were dead ends, so we didn’t need to spend a long time backtracking.
At around the middle of the walk, Sachin pointed out an area with rock pools and said that we could walk through the rock pools, and that it would reconnect at the end to the main path. Apparently the rock pools are only exposed at low tide, and you can’t cross when it’s high tide. Everyone collectively wanted to go through the rock pools, so we totally had a rock pool adventure! We climbed a bunch of big rocks, and saw lots of tiny periwinkle shells, lots of limpets, cunjevoi, a bluebottle jellyfish that had been trapped between the rocks at high tide, chitons and some crabs!
I had read that the walk was 2-3 hours, but we ended up taking only 2 hours (I timed it). We weren’t walking fast, we stopped for photos some, and that was including our little rock pool adventure too. It felt like it was longer than 2 hours though.
Walk level: Easy
Places to come if late/go if leaving early: Yes
Bathrooms: Several along the way
Water: BYO or Bubblers along the way
Driving information: Useful for people who are coming late with a car – Rhiannon said that Macpherson street in Bronte Beach has free parking. On some days it’s full, so it’s not guaranteed, but yeah. Rhiannon said that there is paid parking as well in the streets around Bronte. I also read in a hiking blog that you can park for free in the backstreets near Waverley Cemetery, and then walk around 10 minutes to get to Bronte Beach.
Ended where we started: No
Wheelchair accessibility: The walk wasn’t wheelchair accessible, there were only stairs in many places.