Destination's Journey

Category: Sydney

  • Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk

    Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk

    Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk

    The Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk winds its way along Sydney’s coastal cliffs between these two famous beaches.

    Getting There

    As the walk ends over 5 km from the start, we used public transport to simplify things.

    From Central Station we caught the 339 bus to Clovelly (getting off at Clovelly Rd at Keith St Stop ID: 203180) and then walked to Waverley Cemetery. On finishing the walk, we caught the 380 (the 379 or 333 also go this way) to Bondi Junction where we caught the train back to Central Station.

    Using public transport also alleviates the problem of parking a car, because car spaces are very limited in the area.

    Waverley Cemetery

    Starting at Waverley Cemetery we spent time looking and the huge number of grave sites and family vaults some of which are well decorated. The first interment took place in 1877, and graves of famous Australians such as Henry Lawson can be found here. The views from the cemetery over the ocean and a very peaceful location for peoples last resting place.

    • Waverley Cemetery Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk
      Waverley Cemetery
    • Bronte Baths Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk
      Bronte Baths
    • Bronte Beach Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk
      Bronte Beach
    • Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk Looking Back to Waverley Cemetery
      Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk Looking Back to Waverley Cemetery

    Then we followed the coastal trail around the cliffs to Bronte Beach, where we passed the Baths, built by Waverley Council in 1887. We bought coffee at the kiosk and sat and watched the surfers tackling the waves.

    While admiring the views, we walked to Tamarama Beach. Well maintained and made of metal grating the track provides excellent walking conditions. In places this is replaced by concrete and once you pass Tamarama it is all concrete. There are several areas with stairs, but they are well-made and there are several places to rest, with bench seats, all with great views.

    Art Work

    There are several small pieces of artwork along the track, so look out for them, as they explain the importance of regeneration being undertaken and the arrival of the Dharawal people in the area.

    At Bondi there is a small Black Sunday Surf Rescue Memorial, commemorating this event in 1938 when over 250 people were washed into deep water. Surf lifesavers rescued most, with only five losing their lives.

    • Sculpture to Show The Importance of Reviving Coastal Bushland Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk
      Sculpture to Show The Importance of Reviving Coastal Bushland
    • Tribute to the Dharawal People Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk
      Tribute to the Dharawal People
    • Twist Bands by Oushi Zokel Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk
      Twist Bands by Oushi Zokel
    • Black Sunday Surf Rescue Memorial Bondi Beach Sydney Australia Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk
      Black Sunday Surf Rescue Memorial

    At Bondi admire the Street Art on the wall on the Beach side of the car park before going to Australia’s most famous beach. There was a kite flying display happening this time we visited making it more interesting

    • Weathered Rock South of Bondi Beach
      Weathered Rock South of Bondi Beach
    • Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk From the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk
      Bondi Beach Looking North
    • Icebergs Swimming Pool at Bondi Beach
      Icebergs Swimming Pool at Bondi Beach
    • Gorilla Street Art at Bondi Beach
      Gorilla Street Art at Bondi Beach
    • Street Art at Bondi Beach
      Street Art at Bondi Beach
    • Street Art at Bondi Beach
      Street Art at Bondi Beach
    • Cat Street Art at Bondi Beach
      Cat Street Art at Bondi Beach
    • Street Art at Bondi Beach
      Street Art at Bondi Beach

    Our walk finished at North Bondi at the lookout where the view along the coast and back towards Bondi is great.

    Don’t forget to check out the old pavilion, where the change rooms and showers are located. A life-sized bronze statue of a lifesaver sits outside the pavilion, commemorating surf lifesaving in Australia.

    This is also a great place for a meal as there is a huge variety of cafes and restaurants along Bondi Road.

    • The Bronze Lifesaver at Bondi Beach
      The Bronze Lifesaver at Bondi Beach

    What Did We Think of the Bondi to Bronte Walk?

    The walk took us about 90 minutes, but we stopped a lot to enjoy the views and take photos. Although there are several places with steps, the walk is quite easy.

  • Kokoda Track Memorial Walk Rhodes

    Kokoda Track Memorial Walk Rhodes

    Kokoda Track Memorial Walk Rhodes

    Set in lovely gardens on the banks of the Parramatta River, the Kokoda Track Memorial Walk is a great tribute to this important part of the defence of Australia in World War 2. With ample parking and Rhodes Station under a 10 minute walk away it is very easy to get to.

    The tropical like rain forest of the gardens represents the conditions the soldiers fought in New Guinea. As you walk along the track, information boards explain the battles that took place, adding to the understanding of the events. When you are looking at each of the boards, there is an automatic voice over explaining each section.

    Kokoda Track Memorial Walk Rhodes
    Kokoda Track Memorial Walk Rhodes
    Wreathes at the Myola Ridge Memorial
    Wreathes at the Myola Ridge Memorial
    Milne Bay Information Board, Similar to the Others Found on the Track
    Milne Bay Information Board, Similar to the Others Found on the Track

    Located in the centre of the walk is a memorial to those who fought on the Track. The centre piece comprises a striking series of granite walls on which images of the New Guinea Campaign have been sandblasted. There is also a water feature which cascades over the granite walls and areas surrounding the walk. It forms a fitting tribute to those who fought and died there.

    Kokoda Track Memorial Setting
    Kokoda Track Memorial Setting
    Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel Memorial Kokoda Track Memorial Walk Rhodes
    Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel Memorial

    We found it to be an easy and informative walk, in a beautiful setting. There is a Kokoda Track Cafe in the park where we had a coffee before returning to Rhodes Station.

    The Brays Bay Shipbuilding Memorial

    On the waterfront and next to the memorial walk is a tribute to the ship building that operated here from 1939 to 1945. Ships’ names are set in a walkway down to the water and a sculpture representing a ship sits nearby. This made an interesting addition to the memorial walk while teaching us a little about the wartime industry in the area.

    Ship Building Memorial
    Ship Building Memorial
    Ship Building Memorial
    Ship Building Memorial

    To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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  • Sphinx Memorial Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

    Sphinx Memorial Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

    Sphinx Memorial Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

    Located near the North Turramurra Gate and the Lady Davidson Private Hospital, the Sphinx Memorial commemorates the fallen soldiers of World War One. Restored and rededicated in 1995, the memorial now has had a new lease of life.

    Made from local sandstone by 5756 Private W. T. Shirley as a memorial to fallen A.I.F. comrades, the Sphinx is approximately 1/8th the size of the Great Sphinx, located on Egypt’s Giza Plateau. William Shirley was a patient of the Lady Davidson Convalescent Hospital for returned World War One Australian veterans. Not only suffering from gassing, he had the complication of tuberculosis.

    Only able to work one to two hours a day due to his condition, the Sphinx took one and a half years to complete. William Shirley laboured at creating his personal memorial to his fallen A.I.F comrades from 1926 to 1928.

    • The Sphinx Memorial
      The Sphinx Memorial
    • The Sphinx Memorial
      Side View of The Sphinx Memorial
    • The Sphinx Memorial
      The Sphinx Memorial
    • Carvings on the Memorial
      Carvings on the Memorial
    • Carvings on the Memorial
      Carvings on the Memorial
    • The Sphinx Explanation Plaque
      The Sphinx Explanation Plaque

    What did We Think?

    This was a very interesting monument to visit, because it is a personal tribute to fallen comrades. The subject of the sphinx is also unusual but relevant to all the servicemen who fought in the desert.

    Sydney Morning Herald Tribute To the Sphinx Memorial

    Mr. William T. Shirley, creator of the rock carving, “The Sphinx,” in Kuring-gai Chase, died at the Prince of Wales Hospital on Tuesday. The carving stands as a permanent memorial to the skill and patience of a brave sufferer, who contracted tuberculosis, following on war service.

    Mr. Shirley was a stonemason before he left for the war. At the Lady Davidson Home, Turramurra, which he entered for treatment, the ordinary hospital occupations did not seem to appeal to him. As he was not strong enough to return to his trade, it was suggested that he should carve a rock in Kuring-gai Chase on the model of the Great Sphinx of Giza, which guards the entrance to the Nile Valley. He had seen the Great Sphinx before he went to France, and eagerly set about carving one of much smaller dimensions. On account of his health, Mr. Shirley was not allowed to work more than a couple of hours a day, sometimes less, but he made excellent, progress in cutting down the great rock, and within several months the form of The Sphinx took shape.

    The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW), 29 August 1929

    The Gosford Petroglyphs or Hieroglyphs

    For another story about Australia’s connection to Egypt, read about the Gosford Glyphs. Located an hour’s drive from the sphinx the glyphs are interesting, along with the many other attractions around Gosford.

    Mainmast of HMAS Adelaide

    Sitting next to the Sphinx Memorial is the mainmast of HMAS Adelaide. It is dedicated to World War Two soldiers, sailors, and airmen who died as a result of tuberculosis. The nearby Lady Davidson Repatriation Hospital treated returned servicemen with this condition.

    A dedicatory plaque and a plaque explaining the role played by HMAS Adelaide accompany the mast. The plaque makes the presence of the mast clearer as it provides interesting information.

    • HMAS Adelaide (I) Mast
      HMAS Adelaide (I) Mast
    • Dedicatory Plaque For HMAS Adelaide Mainmast
      Dedicatory Plaque For HMAS Adelaide Mainmast
    • HMAS Adelaide Mainmast Plaque
      HMAS Adelaide Mainmast Plaque

    The Ship’s plaque reads:

    The IMPROVED TOWN Class light cruiser HMAS ADELAIDE was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on 5th August 1922. Built at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney, HMAS ADELAIDE was active with the Australian Fleet until paid off into reserve in 1928. During the ship’s first commission, HMAS ADELAIDE participated in the 1924/25 world cruise as part of the Royal Navy’s Special Service Squadron and in 1927 proceeded to the Solomon Islands on a peacekeeping cruise.

    During 1938/39 the cruiser was modernised to meet the threat from more capable aircraft and recommissioned for service on 13 March 1939.

    In the Second World War, HMAS ADELAIDE operated along the Australian eastern and western coasts. During September 1940 she proceeded to the French colony of New Caledonia to help in the transfer of formal control from Vichy to Free French forces and on 28 November 1942, the cruiser sank the German ‘blockade runner’ Ramses.

    HMAS ADELAIDE provided gunfire support to landings in Ambon in 1944, before returning to Sydney for duties as a submarine depot ship. On 26 February 1946 HMAS ADELAIDE paid off from naval service and on 21 March 1947 was sold to be broken up in Port Kembla.

    The ship’s mainmast was erected adjacent to the Sphinx Memorial in Ku-ring-gai National Park in about 1950.

    To commemorate the end of the Second World war as part of the ‘Australia Remembers’ year, the mast was restored and on 9 November 1995, rededicated at an official ceremony.

    The Ship’s Plaque

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    To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.