Gotta Go See Coogee!

“The purpose of my mission was to see the ocean…”

-“Mission in Vain,” The Mother Hips

I had been in the wonderful country of Australia (a continent completely surrounded by ocean) for two weeks and I had not been to the beach! When I realized this, I immediately felt the urge to change this predicament! On Monday, March 7th, I ventured to Coogee Beach with a fellow exchange student from Denmark. We decided that we would take the bus to the beach. I bought a return bus ticket to Coogee and back for $4.20 (You can buy bus tickets on campus or at any convenience store – most of the busses are pre-pay tickets only). We figured out which bus we needed to board and the intended arrival time as we stood at the bus stop. As we patiently waited, we eventually saw the bus we wanted (number 426) in the distance. Excited, we stood there and waited for it to come to the bus stop. However, we watched the bus get closer…closer….and then pass us…it didn’t even stop! We tried to run after it, flailing our arms as we tried to reach the next nearest bus stop before it passed when we came across a sign on the bus stop that said “Please signal driver to stop.” Feeling silly and embarrassed, we checked the times, and decided to wait for the next arrival time, fully prepared to showcase our bus-driver-signaling-to-stop skills. The next bus came and we waved our arms and I think I may have even jumped up and down a little. The bus driver saw our signal and pulled the bus over to stop, when I boarded the bus, the driver kind of laughed (I don’t think it was just in my head, haha).

The bus ride to Coogee from Sydney Uni was about 45 minutes. When we arrived at Coogee, I was greeted by the most beautiful sight of the ocean. Success! Coogee is a relatively small beach and I have been told it is less touristy than Bondi (when I go to Bondi I will let you know the details). The weather was perfectly clear and sunny and I was ecstatic to squish my toes in the soft and smooth sand. We laid out our towels and lathered on some sunscreen. It is very important to apply sunscreen in Australia because according to the Australian Government’s Department of Health and Aging Australia is unfortunately one of the places where skin cancer is most prevalent in the world (Click here for Australian Skin Cancer Facts).

Laying out at Coogee Beach was so peaceful. The scenery was gorgeous, the sand was warm and soft, and the water was crystal clear! I walked into the water up to my knees and I could still see the sand and my feet through the water! Now, that is perfection. Coogee Beach is definitely a must-go beach to visit when you are in Sydney!