The Infamous Bondi to Coogee Walk: Sydney, Australia Guide
If you’ve ever looked into planning a trip to Australia, Bondi Beach is sure to be at the top of your list of must-sees. This beach is world-renowned and for good reason- it’s a coastal paradise by any standard, inviting its visitors to enjoy the Australian sun (don’t forget your reef-safe sunscreen!) and watch, or participate, in Australia’s infamous and thrilling surf culture.
With its iconic lifeguard towers and the occasional “dramatic” rescue that you might catch a glimpse of on Bondi Rescue, this beach serves as not just a Sydney icon, but an Australian icon.
What you might not know is that Bondi has plenty of neighboring beaches that are just as beautiful and you can spend a day walking along all of them! This coastal walk, aka the infamous Bondi to Coogee Walk, spans for almost 4 miles (6 km) and sits along the suburbs of Sydney, Australia.
In this post, I will walk you through exactly how to enjoy this coastal walk, what beaches you will get to enjoy, and my suggestions on how to best enjoy this walk.
Where to Start the Walk
While the walk is called the Bondi to Coogee walk, I actually suggest starting in Coogee and ending in Bondi. Ending the walk at the Bondi Icebergs and enjoying a nice lunch with my friends made for a really great and satisfying end to this walk.
For starters, the walk is less uphill if you do it this way, which may not seem like a big deal, but in the Australian heat, you’ll be thanking me for just a little bit of relief. Bondi Beach also has significantly more restaurants, cafes, and stores so you can enjoy a bite to eat or a nice cold beverage once you’ve ended your walk.
If you choose to start in Coogee, set your GPS to Morning Glory Cafe, enjoy a little coffee, and the trail is marked right outside the cafe. If you do choose to start in Bondi, the Bondi Icebergs are technically the starting point.
How long does it take to do the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk?
The Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk is just around 6 km, or almost 4 miles long. From everything I had read about this walk and from what friends had told me, I was under the assumption that it would take roughly 1-1.5 hours to complete.
I found that it took closer to 3 by the time that you take some pictures and truly enjoy the scenery that is around you. If you want to actually lay out or take a swim at some of the beaches you walk through, plan on it taking closer to 4 hours.
What You See
During the Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk, you are walking through MacKenzie’s Bay, Tamarama Beach, Bronte Beach, Clovelly Beach, Gordon’s Bay, and Coogee Beach.
How to get to Bondi or Coogoo from Sydney
If you are a budget traveler, I suggest taking the train out to the suburbs and then hopping on the bus to get you to either starting point. This ends up taking about 45 minutes to an hour and the bus can get quite crowded as many locals take the bus into the beach suburbs as well.
Sydney’s public transportation is great and is far better than that of Melbourne or Brisbane in my opinion. In Sydney, you can use Apple pay (or just tap your credit card) so there is no need to buy a pass at a station or deal with annoying apps. It’s a super easy and convenient tap on tap off system.
Another option is taking an Uber. I found them to be quite expensive if you are going alone, but if you can split the price with a few friends, it’s about the same price as taking the train and bus. The drive is only about 15 minutes to get to Bondi or Coogee Beach from downtown Sydney.
Random Tips n Tricks
- Start the walk in the morning. The Australian sun is no joke and you will find the walk less than enjoyable if you go in the middle of the afternoon in the blistering heat.
- Pack lots of water: for the same reason I suggest starting in the morning, do not forget to pack lots of water. I ran out of my 32 oz. of water about halfway through the walk because I was downing it in the middle of January.
- End your walk with a delicious Betty’s Burger in the middle of Bondi. Betty’s is an Australian burger/diner chain and they truly are delicious.
- Make a pit stop at Giles Baths in Coogee.
- There are plenty of restrooms along the route and if you really get desperate, the ocean is just a step away.
- Don’t forget your sunscreen! The walk is mostly unshaded and as mentioned earlier, that Australian sun is no joke.
