Sorry for my radio silence since my last post on 31 October - in the run up to Christmas I was manically busy with client work and in January I headed to Sydney for five weeks.
I thought I'd kick off with one of the highlights of my Sydney sojourn - the coastal walk from South Coogee (where I was staying) to Bondi, a distance of about 10k with some of the most spectacular scenery. I did this walk last year with a friend but this time it was just me, my iPhone and my DSLR. The weather was cloudy, windy and about 26C so perfect for a long walk.
The coastline is wild and rugged but incredibly beautiful. The windy conditions meant the beaches and the rock swimming pools were nearly empty except for the odd brave soul.
My first stop was Coogee beach where the rock swimming pool was submerged and deserted.
Next stop was the stunningly beautiful Gordon's Bay. This beach is very secluded, accessible only from the coastal walkway. Normally it would be full of bathers but it was totally empty.
Normally Gordon's Bay is full of people - it's famous for the turquoise colour of the water as you can see from the following images which I took a couple of days earlier.
The next landmark was the magnificent Waverley Cemetary, rated as one of the top three most beautiful cemeteries in the world. Sitting on the cliffs near Bronte with spectacular ocean views, it was opened in 1877 and is noted for its largely intact Victorian and Edwardian monuments. The cemetery contains the graves of many significant Australians including the poet Henry Lawson. Due to the 2016 storms which severely damaged the coastal path through the cemetery, you have to divert up the hill and across the middle of the cemetery. After more than 18 months, they are still working to repair the path which seems to have been washing away in places.
A little further on the path descends into Bronte beach.
Up the hill and along the rugged coastline towards Tamarama Beach. I always associate these vivid orange flowers with Tamarama.
And finally, Bondi is in sight.
The walk around the coast to Bondi Icebergs where I'd planned to stop for beer and oysters is full of interesting rock formations.
It is always my seat on the balcony at Icebergs directly above the sea pool, I had a bird's eye view of the ocean and beach. I always feel that I'm in a Slim Aarons photo when I'm sitting on the balcony at Icebergs. It doesn't get much better does it?!
After my pit stop, I wandered around Bondi shops stopping to buy a couple of items from a fantastic vintage clothes shop, eating a huge ice-cream from Messina (one of Sydney's best ice-cream chains) and ended up on the beach taking in the scenery and watching a children's surfing lesson (brave little souls!).
Along the sea wall is the most fantastic display of graffiti art. Here are a few of them.
I love Bondi - it's hippy, whacky and very laid back. This house says it all !!
You may also like to read
I’ve called Day 7 ‘Churches in Sussex’ for consistency but in fact it involved churches in Surrey and Hampshire! I had planned to visit Sussex churches but I decided to combine a visit to a friend in Hampshire.