Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk

Tuesday we did the famous Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk. It is a beautiful 2.5 km walk that took about 90 minutes. There are lots of places to stop and look at the ocean, beaches and rock formations.

We started at Bondi Beach which was full of surfers and tanners.

Right after Bondi Beach is an amazing lookout where you can see waves crashing against the rocks and Bondi Beach in the distance.

You follow along a mostly paved trailed along the coastline. The next beach you come to is Tamarama Beach. This beach is a complete surfing beach tucked in a small neighborhood.

Right past Tamarama Beach you reach Bronte Beach. This is a great coastal walk that yo must do if you visit Sydney.

Royal National Park, Jervis Bay, Grand Pacific Drive and More

Sunday and Monday we left Sydney and headed south to Jervis Bay. According to the Guinness Book of World Records Jervis Bay has the whitest sand in the world. Since we were so close and I had used pictures of Jervis Bay in a lesson for my sixth graders we decided to venture down. It was a beautiful two hour drive filled with rain forests, oceans and quaint little towns.

Our first stop was at Hyams Beach to check out the white sand and replicate a picture my students had studied. The beaches were the whitest, softest, smallest sand particles we have ever seen. The beaches in Jervis Bay also squeaked when you walked.

While in Jervis Bay we spent some time bodyboarding. It was more fun than I could have imagined.

After leaving Jervis Bay we headed to the town of Wollongong. It was a great town and we enjoyed an evening there before heading back to Sydney.

After leaving Wollogong we headed on the Grand Pacific Drive and Royal National Park. The Drive is a must do while in Sydney. You see a beautiful section of Australia including rain forests. About 20-25 minutes north of Wollogong is Bald Hill. This is a MUST place to stop. While admiring the view we saw a whale and dolphin playing in the ocean.

Royal National Park is the second oldest national park in the world after Yellowstone. There are dozens of beaches throughout the park to stop and cool off. None of them are life-guarded though, at least during the week.

Sydney Olympic Park

We spent most of Saturday exploring Sydney Olympic Park. It is a beautiful area with many fun things to see and do. We started the morning at the Archery Centre where we spent 90 minutes in their Aim for Fun program. It was a great activity where both managed to hit the target and Simon even got a couple of bulls eyes.

After archery we headed to the center of the park where we saw the Olympic Cauldron (now a fountain) and the large arena which is currently home to the Rugby team.

This weekend there happened to be a Supercross show so the park was filled with activities. We walked through and Simon met some spokesmodels, paramedics and these nice police officers.

There were numerous activities going on related to Supercross. It was a fun way to spend part of the day.

Clovelly & Coogee Beach

Today was beach day! After walking 20,000 steps each of the last two days we needed a break. After doing some research we decided to head to Clovelly Beach as it was listed as a good snorkeling beach. It was a perfect family beach as it was secluded from the ocean and had lots of beautiful sand.

It also had easy access to the ocean via ladders. However, the snorkeling was not ideal today. 

After some exploring we decided to head to nearby Coogee Beach. This was the perfect decision. After a great lunch of fish & chips we headed to the beach to play in the sand, swim in the ocean and ocean pools and relax.

On each end of Coogee Beach were ocean baths or pools. One was man made where the ocean spilled in as the tide rose. The other was a natural bath. They were fun to swim in and watch the waves crash as the tide rose.

Coogee Ocean Pool

Giles Bath

Parramatta River Ferry and Cockatoo Island

Thursday morning we took the Parramatta River Ferry from Parramatta to Circular Quay. On the way we had the opportunity to see many outlaying areas of Sydney along with a stop on Cockatoo Island. We highly recommend spending half a day exploring on the Parramatta River Ferry as you can get off and on along the way.

Cockatoo Island is now a World Heritage site and is free to visit once you arrive on the island. Cockatoo Island  began in 1839 as penal colony. For 30 years prisoners from Sydney were sent to Cockatoo Island.  In 1871 Australia opened the Industrial School for orphaned girls and a Reformatory for girls convicted of crimes. Eventually a boys orphanage was added. Eventually it was turned back into a prison for petty criminals and was used as that until the navy needed it for a shipyard during WWI. It was used as a shipyard until 1991. It is now a protected site by UNESCO and a campground.

Everywhere we have been so far has had numerous school children on field trips. Cockatoo Island was no exception. There were numerous high school groups touring the island, including a group of art students drawing the old machinery.

Sydney Opera House & Harbour Bridge

Today was the day we ventured down to Circular Quay (pronounced key) to see one of the world's most iconic landmarks, the Sydney Opera House. After a leisurely ferry ride down the Parramatta River and a stop at Cockatoo Island (I will post pics in another post) we arrived in Circular Quay to this fabulous view.

After docking we walked over to the Opera House for a closer view and a good picture in front of the Harbour Bridge. 

After walking around the outside and inside of the Opera House we spent about an hour walking across the Harbour Bridge. It is 1.5 miles across the Harbour Bridge and you get amazing views of the Opera House and harbour. Today was windy and there were a dozen or more sailboats sailing in the harbour. It was a beautiful sight.  

I have 100s of pictures from today but these are my favorite. By the way, with the Australian wine and Tim-Tam cookies I may never leave! I will be bringing Tim-Tam's to work with me after Thanksgiving to share (maybe)!

Darling Harbour and Australian National Maritime Museum

Wednesday we spent the afternoon exploring Darling Harbour and the Australian National Maritime Museum. We ate lunch at the iconic Harry's and had the most amazing pies with mashed potatoes, mashed peas and gravy on top!

We gave the Australian National Maritime Museum a 5 star rating. Getting on board a submarine, a destroyer, a patrol boat and the HMS Endeavor (a Navy vessel where James Cook charted Australia).

Harry's iconic Tiger house special!

Darling Harbour was beautiful as we walked around.