Sydney: From Bondi Beach to Bronte Beach

On my second day in Sydney, I got up jetlag early (around noon) and decided to visit Bondi Beach. I had some troubles understanding the signage on the train station, but after downloading an app, which could tell me all the things the signboards refused to reveal, getting to Bondi Beach was an easy match.

After taking the train to Bondi Station, I got on a bus, which stopped right at the beach. I didn’t bring my swimwear and the sea was also very rough that day. Besides, I didn’t want to be eaten by a shark. I know the risk is minimal, but with my usual luck, it wouldn’t surprise me if a shark would come by and chew off my leg, or maybe even a jellyfish with a taste for humans.

Instead, I went for a walk from Bondi Beach to Bronte Beach. The walk was a little more than 2km but there’s so much to see along the way, that you don’t even notice that your walking, because your mind is so busy capturing the impressions of the marvelous scenery.

Bondi beach is probably the most popular beach in Sydney, both among locals and tourists so even though the weather was a bit so-so, I wasn’t the only one visiting the beach that day. When I took the picture of the cliffs below, I actually had to wait for 10 minutes before the trail passing it was clear from people. So don’t let those Instagram pictures fool you. Half of Sydney was there with me that day.

Along the path was a small bay called Mackenzies Bay. It was actually a kind of rock plateau where you could climb down and get really close to the water. I saw a man sitting in a yoga-kind-of-pose at one of the outer rocks, gazing at the waves, and he looked so calm and relaxed that I thought I would join him (minus the yoga pose).

I therefore started climbing down, but only made it halfway, because all the small lizards continued to scare the hell out of me. I almost stepped on one, which didn’t move until just before I put my foot down. Yikes!

I know there’s no way those little creatures would be able to harm me in any way, but I was afraid I might harm myself and accidentally jump into the water if surprised once again.

Just before Bronte Beach was Tamarama Beach. The broad stretch of glistening white sand looked extremely tempting, and if it hadn’t been so windy, this would have been the place I would have stopped for a swim.

Bronte Beach just looked like a smaller version of Bondi Beach. Nice and neat and no surprises. If I were to take that walk again, I think I would start the walk at Bronte Beach and end it at Bondi Beach, because then I think Bronte Beach would seem less underwhelming.