Um, Beach Please

The other day, the American crew (Dane, Daniel, and myself) decided the 40 degree weather--that's Celsius, folks--presented the perfect opportunity for a little beach time. But although over the past few days we've become Bondi Beach's newest resident beach bums, which my drastic change in skin color and my poor companions' lobster-red backs will prove, we decided perhaps it was time to explore some new waters...literally.

Since starting work in Bondi, I've been told by pretty much everyone I've met that the Bondi to Coogee coastal walk is a must-see and must-do. Supposedly the cliff views are stunning, the beaches exquisitely refreshing, and the walk itself just overall quite fulfilling. So today, armed with our beach towels, "swimmers," and copious amounts of sunscreen and aloe vera (for the first degree burns) we set off south towards Coogee Beach.

Ah, and it was breathtaking. Halfway past the amazing rock faces, and in between one turquoise-colored body of water and another even more turquoise-colored body of water, we all lamented the fact that not even one of three of us had thought to bring a camera. Oy vei. To make up for this, however, we instead chose to sample each beach we passed (about five or six total). Consequently, I have collected my thoughts bellow and written reviews for each body of water into which I dipped my toe, as well as corresponding beaches. Please read on for more:

1. Bondi Beach: Beautiful people, beautiful people, beautiful people galore. Beware the perfectly sun-kissed and chiseled bodies. You thought you were hot once? Prepare yourself for somewhat of an ego dump...Bondi-goers are are a good-looking bunch. Makes for some good people-watching (yes, and many women go topless, so beware of gawky teenage boys too). Other than that, waves are gentle and the water is relatively warm and shallow. The perfect dip.

After swimming, don't let yourself forget to walk along Campbell parade to buy yourself some delicious gelato or a perhaps somewhat over-priced meal along that main arcade.


2. Tamarama Beach: Neighborhood beach otherwise known as "Glamarama." We didn't actually stop to swim here--much smaller than expected and very few people. Pretty, though, as most Australian beaches tend to be.


3. Bronte Beach: Known as one of the best surf rescue training beaches in Sydney, let alone New South Wales, Bronte is definitely home to some serious agua. While a fair amount choose to brave the somewhat daunting waves, others go with safer options: either sticking to land/the small and quaint sandy beach area, and/or going for a dip in the saltwater pool adjacent to the water (the pool's water level actually rises and falls with the tide...kinda cool, right?). Besides that, there's really not much else to Bronte, besides it's two public lavatories and beachside surf rescue school. In fact, the beach itself is enclosed by large cliffs on which stand very impressive homes.


4.Clovelly Beach: Oh hey there, kids. Clearly a popular choice among families, the guys and I were almost shocked to see so many children under the age of 10 in one location. From a man in a speedo wrestling his son to the ground in order to apply sunscreen, to little Australian children on mini surfboards, I knew I had reached some sort of Aussie surf life breeding ground. I kid you not.

Besides that, water is essentially a long channel from the ocean. Hence the water lacks the violent waves of Bronte or Tamarama. Definitely one of my top picks.


5. Gordon's Bay: Beautiful water with a vibrant underwater ecosystem is for snorkelers. So is Gordon's Bay. 'Nough said.


6. Coogee Beach: While Bondi Beach may be frequented by the beautiful, we noticed a not-so-subtle change in the demographic of Coogee. One word: mullets. Other than that, pretty much an exact copy of Bondi with slightly bigger waves and slightly less people.