As the cliche goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and that is certainly true of the amazing sights we encountered on our all-day walk along Sydney's Southeastern shore.
After rising very early (famished), we decided to eat at the hotel and plan our next few days. The breakfast was decidedly mediocre, but, armed with our various books on Sydney, we roughed out our plans for the next 4 days!
By late morning, we were off on our first adventure on the ferry out to Watson's Bay from where we would walk the rough south coast of Sydney down to the famous surfing beaches of Bondi, Bronte, and Coogee Beach.
Good coffee is omnipresent in Sydney (though a bit pricey). Here's Therese sipping a "flat white"--- a sort of Australian Cafe Au Lait, made with espresso coffee and lots of steamed milk, but minimal froth.
After a fast-moving 20-minute ride, we arrived at Watson's Bay, and immediately set out for South Head, which, along with North Head (shown below, across the bay from where we stood) forms the entryway to Sydney Harbor and, as such, historically had significant artillery emplacements to protect the harbor from invasion (More on that later.)
Although, there's still an active military reserve on South Head, the feel of the place is more like a coastal rain forest than a military fortification. The path on which we walked passed through a wide variety of tropical vegetation and animal life, such as the numerous and very noisy Rainbow Lorikeets, feeding on nectar-filled blossoms on the large, equally colorful Coral trees (a non-native tree from South America) that dominated the charming little village of Watson's Bay.
We passed by several lanes of "craftsman-like" beach cottages
and then encountered a number of more recently built grand shore-line homes overlooking Camp Cove Beach, where the British first landed in what they called Port Jackson and which was to become the centerpiece and economic engine of the city of Sydney.
Now, this beach appeared to be, at least at this unseasonal time of year, a gay-male pick-up beach, occupied by several sunburned and rather unhealthy-looking men, sunbathing in scant bikinis.
Leaving the village behind, we walked a well-maintained coastal path out to the end of South Head. Along the way, we heard and saw our first Laughing Kookaburra, peacefully overlooking the path as people walked by. It was so still that at first glance, we thought it was a large owl, but looking more closely we saw that it looked more like a very large Kingfisher to which it is, in fact, related. Kookaburras appear to be completely unfazed by humans or human activity. (Several days later, we saw a number of them rooting about manure in a field while it was being spread by noisy and very fast-moving manure-spreading vehicles.)
A Little Pied Cormorant
All along the path out to the tip of South Head, we would glance back to see the spectacular skyline of Sydney just a few miles behind us. We marveled at this, our first experience of being "in the bush" while being in a near-suburb, clearly within Sydney city limits.
We stopped to check out Lady Bay Beach, a "clothing optional" beach, which, as far as we could tell from where we stood (a respectful 100 meters or so away) meant a gay male nude beach. This was the second beach along this short walk at which we saw men sunbathing, apparently unconcerned about Australia's very strong sunshine (poorly blocked due to the thin ozone layer here.) To us, the sun feels very strong, so we are covering up and constantly applying sunblock up to 70 spf to any exposed skin; even Peter is doing so.
At the tip of South Head stands the gaily painted Hornby Lighthouse.
Sea Kayakers coming off the rough waters between North and South Heads into the relative calm of outer Sydney Harbor
We walked back to Watson's bay, ate a lunch at the Wharf Cafe--- grilled Barramundi (a local white fish) and a prawn salad. We can tell already that we'll be eating lots of fresh seafood in Australia, especially since we'll be spending much of our time on the coasts.
After lunch, we headed out for our day-long walk, stopping first at "The Gap," severe cliffs overlooking a ferociously crashing surf--- and a well-known suicide spot.
Having no interest in committing suicide, we set out to walk through the very tony neighborhood of Vaucluse.
A footbridge crossing Parsley Bay into Vaucluse.
Vaucluse House
A Laughing Kookaburra overlooking a grotto on the grounds of Vaucluse House
We emerged from the ritzy Vaucluse neighborhood and cut back across a more middle-class area to a well-maintained coastal path that began at Diamond Bay.
The coastal path went by a range of abodes from expensive modern homes to rather rundown flats...
...and from suburban split levels to city-like highrises.
Occasionally we were diverted up onto suburban areas like this one high on a ridge from which we could clearly view the City Business District of Sydney in the distance.
But we would always return to the craggy cliffs and crashing surf.
The path followed the bends and turns of the coast.
Finally descending to Bondi Beach
where daring surfers in wetsuits sported among the crashing waves.
Two views from the other side of Bondi Bay.
Fishing in the crashing waves in Bondi bay.
Eroded sandstone along the way.
Continuing on along the coast as the sun began to fall (around 4 PM)
The cliff-side home of a homeless man.
It was getting darker and colder and windier.
One of the many surf-side swimming pools filled by the waves crashing over them. We spoke to a young man wearing a wet suit who had just come out from swimming in such a pool.
One last view of Bondi as the sun sunk lower in the sky.
Waverly cemetery on the edge of the cliffs on the way from Bronte Beach to Coogee Beach.
At last, we arrived at Coogee just as night set in.
Exhausted, we ate dinner at a Brazilian all-you-can-eat Barbecue restaurant. Then caught a bus back to Oxford St. very near our hotel. We collapsed asleep almost the minute we got in bed.
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