Coogee to Bondi (with extra Burrata!)

We enjoyed a slower start than usual this morning, Carly had a long lie in and I was up at the usual time to edit some of the bookings for the future trips. Travelling with smart phones does make things a lot easier, with a few well chosen apps you can modify the coming months while lying in bed with a cup of tea! We've been told by a number of people that Port Douglas has a lot more to offer than Cairns so I've moved our accommodation there as well as booking up our accommodation out of Brisbane when we drive to Noosa and Fraser Island.

There may have also been a small issue with booking our campervan for New Zealand a month earlier than planned. We've lost a bit of money on that one but have been offered a generous discount on the next one so it's not too bad! 

It seems weird booking ahead for other parts of the trip in America but with Booking.com and TripAdvisor it's so easy to get done while Carly sleeps! Gone are the days of hours in internet cafes, lonely planet guides and calling estate agents back in England! There has been something lost of not just turning up in a town and finding a room but it does make it a lot harder for people to scam you and poor restaurants are less likely to remain busy!After we'd had a simple breakfast and showers we wandered out and took the bus to Coogee Bay to start our walk along the coastline. It's rated as the number one attraction in Sydney on tripadvisor and you can see why. Starting at Coogee Bay where I had a lovely coffee, flat white of course, we headed around the bay and over the next headland.


The scenery reminded me of Cornwall, fairly harsh coastline with small glass fronted houses overlooking the sea. It was beautiful and although very up and down the paths were well made and it was a lovely walk along the coast. 

We dipped in and out of about 6 small coves and beaches, each one with slightly more surfers than the next, as we approached Bondi. We stopped to watch the surfers and see how it was really done after our attempt in Bali. The weather was perfect for walking in shorts and a t-shirt. Again similar to Cornwall with a slight breeze, but this is their winter!

Bondi Beach is one of the most famous in the world for being a stunning, big, white, beach with lots of good waves for surfers. It's also known as being one of the most overrated! Carly and I were impressed, the town is nothing much but the beach lived up to expectations, large and white, clean and the sand even squeaked as you walked on it. It's about half the size of what I'd expected but a beautiful sandy beach none the less.

From our professional opinion (now that we've had a surf lesson!!) the waves didn't seem right for surfing today but people were trying. The tide was going out while we were there so the waves were being flattened by currents heading back out into the ocean. It's also not particularly hot at the moment so the beach wasn't too full.

We found a lovely Italian that Liz's sister had recommended and it did not disappoint, the food was simple but amazing! We had eggplant (aubergine) Caponata with a whole Burrata to start, we agreed to share it but I'm not sure we ended up with half and half! The main was pasta for myself (a simple dish with snapper, huge prawns and some chilli and capers) and a Parma pizza for Carly. We were both in our my element, it's so nice when we find a restaurant we both love and Italian cuisine tends to work best for both our tastes!

We rounded off the meal with a couple of pots of gelato and wandered down to the beach for another look at the surf. On our way back to town we spoke to Hannah and Fraser to wish them both Happy Birthday. It's weird speaking to them as we've had a full days activities and they're just heading off to work. Well Hannah was, Fraser was just about waking up!


We'd decided on a night in tonight to save a bit of money and catch up with some pictures and chill out time. First though we headed to the viewpoint at Mrs Macqaurie's Chair for the sun setting over the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. Sadly the weather had clouded over but it was still lovely see the views over the Harbour and get some good pictures. I spoke to my Mum who again was just starting her day and collecting the eggs from the chickens!

We wandered home and am enjoying a few craft beers and some Pringles while Carly is catching up on some more sleep! A lie-in coastline walking and good food can certainly take it out of you!