The other day I went for a walk from Coogee to Clovelly. These are two beaches along the Pacific Ocean coast of Sydney. We are fortunate to have about seventy beaches, approximately thirty-nine of these are ocean beaches. My walk started at Coogee, easily reached by bus from my home in Newtown. As well as the beach there are two ocean baths: Wylies and the Women’s Baths.
This lovely glade of Banksia trees is a great place to relax in the
shade, picnic, read, whatever.
On the day I went, the weather was perfect, if a bit unseasonal.
It’s meant to be Autumn here now, the temperature was around
30C/86F. The water was warm too at 22C/72F.
The long vertical ‘cloud’ is a vapour stream from an airplane.
Coogee Beach is located under one of the three main flight paths
to Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport.
This the entrance to a naturally occurring rock pool, at the base
of a Sydney Sandstone cliff face.
Because the ocean water coming into the pool is ‘filtered’ by
rocks it is generally very clear.
Two excellent examples of Sydney Sandstone at Coogee. The rock
is very soft and takes quite a pounding from the wind and high
tides. Art may imitate nature, but nature cannot imitate art.
Further along the walk is Gordon’s Bay, a beautiful sheltered bay.
It has an underwater nature trail signposted for SCUBA divers.
The bay is popular with people learning to dive.
The bay is home to the Gordon’s Bay Fishing Club.
A poster illustrating the varieties of fish in Gordon’s Bay.
Sydney Sandstone at Gordon’s Bay
Clovelly Beach is protected from wild weather so is popular with
people who want a passive swimming experience.
Two examples of the sandstone around Clovelly Beach.
For more information about Sydney sandstone:
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/bioregions/SydneyBasin-Landform.htm
David Urquhart: art and about 
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