Coogee Beach

Located just eight miles east of the Sydney central business district in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Coogee Beach is a 47-meter-long and wide and extremely popular crescent-shaped golden sand beach with many rocky portions.  This sheltered beach is part of Goldstein Reserve and is positioned between two rocky headlands along Thompsons Bay.  It has a beautiful backdrop of the famous Coogee Beach Rainbow Walkway, Coogee Surf Life Saving Club, beachfront bars, cafes, restaurants, hotels, saltwater pools, and several grassy parks, which together offer incredible views of Wedding Cake Island.  Wedding Cake Island is a large outcrop of rock located around 700 meters offshore, which is credited with considerably lowering the size of the waves that hit Coogee Beach.  The beach is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.

Coogee Beach has many amenities, including lifeguards, saltwater pools, restrooms, showers, changing rooms, grassy parks, picnic areas, picnic shelters, a barbeque grill facility, a surf lifesaving club, a public transportation facility, boutiques, nearby restaurants, cafes, kiosks, beach equipment rental facilities, locker rental facilities, and a paved promenade.  It is worth noting that drinking alcohol is strictly prohibited here.

Coogee Beach offers many fun activities, including swimming, sunbathing, snorkeling, surfing, paddleboarding, rock fishing, yoga, walking, and rockpooling.  If you are planning to go into the water near the beach, the waves are usually calm, and there is also a netted tidal pool, which makes it a perfect place to swim.  Visitors can also enjoy many nearby ocean pools (a small pool of seawater that forms along the coastline and is a microhabitat that is home to many sea creatures), the Giles Baths positioned on the northern end of the beach, and Ross Jones Rockpool to its south, which provides safe swimming areas.  In addition, the popular McIver's Ladies Baths and Wylie's Baths are located just a five-minute walk south of Coogee Beach.  The beach offers amazing opportunities for snorkelers and divers to explore the underwater world.  

Coogee Beach is a perfect spot for windsurfing due to its frequently windy weather and great waves from southeasterly winds.  In addition, a Coogee Beach beachcam is installed near the shore that offers a real-time feed of the beach conditions, whereas a Randwick Beach beachcam offers multiple views of surf spots seldom pointed toward the best wave peaks.   If you enjoy fishing, you may catch a variety of fish.   Depending on the time of the year, visitors may spot whales and dolphins in the water near the beach.  Hikers can explore the Bondi to Coogee Walk that runs along the rocky cliff near the beach and is frequented by tourists, runners, and walkers to enjoy the sunrise.  There are several parklands and reserves around the beach that are ideal for picnicking, with a barbecue facility and playground equipment. 

Coogee Beach hosts many interesting events, including beach volleyball tournaments, rugby tournaments, swimming competitions, festivals, and outdoor concerts, that attract a large influx of visitors to this beach throughout the year.  The beach also hosts a 2.4-kilometer race, the annual Coogee Island Challenge event, where thousands of swimmers compete.  Dogs are not allowed on the beach, but there is an off-leash dog park near the southern side beach at Trenerry Reserve.

Coogee Beach offers an access path for people with disabilities.

Getting to Coogee Beach is easy - the beach has a large parking lot located at 155-159 Dolphin Street, Coogee Postcode 2034, where visitors have to pay $9 per hour.  Also, there are a few street parking spots near 56 Carr Street, which also provide easy access to the beach.

The beach name "Coogee" is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning "smelly place" due to the presence of the smell of decaying seaweed.  However, the beach is kept clean all year by Randwick City Council staff.

On the northern side of the beach, there is a famous Dolphin Point (formerly known as Dunningham Reserve).  It features a memorial to the victims of the Bali bombings in 2002, which unfortunately claimed the lives of several Coogee Dolphins rugby league players.

There is another memorial erected at the southern end of Coogee Beach, Lest We Forget—the ANZAC memorial.

There are many attractions near Coogee Beach.  Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk is a three-kilometer-long moderately challenging coastal walking trail along the cliffs that meanders through beaches, parks, and rock pools, which provide incredible views.  Malabar Headland National Park is spread over 170 hectares and features rugged sandstone cliffs, heathland, coastal vegetation, and Aboriginal sites. Visitors can enjoy many fun activities, including bushwalking, birdwatching, picnicking, hiking, and whale watching. In addition, this coastal park is home to the famous ANZAC Rifle Range, which hosts various shooting competitions and training programs.  Taronga Zoo Sydney is located on the shores of Sydney Harbour, overlooking the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.  It is home to over 5000 animals from 350 different species, including African lions, tigers, Asian elephants, chimpanzees, giraffes, meerkats, koalas, gorillas, red kangaroos, tree kangaroos, Corroboree frogs, sun bears, zebras, lemurs, regent honeyeaters, seals, penguins, and sea lions.  In addition, the zoo also offers interactive animal feeding and petting sessions and hosts many interesting events.  Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is spread over 30 hectares and is home to more than 30000 native plant species.  It is also home to many gardens, including the Palm Grove, the Rose Garden, the Orientation Center, the Herb Garden, and the rainforest gully.  In addition, it also features the Glasshouse, the Tropical Centre, and Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair, which offers iconic views of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.  If you are looking for another nearby attraction, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia is a multi-level museum that has many galleries and displays a unique collection of over 4,000 works of Australian and international contemporary art.  In addition, it hosts interesting exhibits, talk shows, customized tours, and self-guided audio tours.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants on Coogee Beach.  Mimi's is an upscale restaurant positioned on the northern side of the beach and serves amazing seafood.   Coogee Pavilion Ground Floor is positioned right on the beach, offers an outdoor seating area, and serves amazing salads, pizzas, sandwiches, burgers, seafood, meat, pork, and poultry dishes.  Marra Bar & Grill is a waterfront upscale restaurant that serves incredible seafood food.  Sushigoi serves amazing soups, salads, tempura, sashimi, sushi, rolls, and bento boxes.  Coogee Beach Club has indoor and outdoor seating and serves salads, burgers, sandwiches, seafood, meat, pork, and poultry dishes.  In addition, visitors can also enjoy a lawn bowl game here.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant,  Spice Thai Cuisine serves soups, salads, pad Thai noodles, fried rice, Thai curries, gyoza, seafood, meat, and poultry dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Coogee Beach, there are many great options nearby.  If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 5-Star Meriton Suites Waterloo is 18 minutes away by car and offers many amenities, including an outdoor pool, a hot tub, a spa, a fitness center, and two restaurants.  A more affordable hotel is the waterfront 4-Star Coogee Bay Boutique Hotel, which has a few amenities, including a seafood restaurant and a bar.  Another moderately priced option is the 4-Star Coogee Sands Hotel & Apartments - Beachside Hotel Coogee, which has a few amenities, including an outdoor seating area and barbecue grill facility.   A more reasonably priced option is the 3-Star St Marks Randwick, which offers several amenities, including a rooftop deck and a garden.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Royal Hotel Randwick offers a few amenities, including a whirlpool bath and an atrium with sitting areas.