Walking by

A coastal walk along Sydney’s eastern beaches can be leisurely and scenic, but above all, interesting

BY PETRA O’NEILL

At 17, I travelled to Sydney for the first time on the overnight train from Melbourne, staying with family friends at Bronte in the eastern suburbs. Later, I lived there in the days when it was still a knockabout beach suburb. On Friday evenings, I’d walk to Bondi for a swim and pizza, and take home a thick creamy slice of decadent Hazelnut Torte from the Gelato Bar.

The eastern beaches coastal walk from Watsons Bay to Maroubra is one of Australia’s great walks, best done in several chunks on sunny days when the sky is bright blue and the locals are out swimming, surfing or fishing. You will follow the Pacific Ocean with waves crashing against rocky cliffs below and walk by historic swimming baths, rock pools, trendy cafés and restaurants.

Beginning at Watsons Bay, you can look across the heads to Manly and visit the site where the Dunbar sailing ship crashed during a severe storm in 1857, carrying 63 passengers and 59 crew. Only a young sailor who clung to a ledge for 36 hours, survived.

The walk continues past Macquarie lighthouse, Australia’s oldest continuously operating lighthouse with spectacular