This scenic walk starts with beautiful headland tracks to Maroubra then passes a succession of fabulous natural rock pools en route to Coogee.
Malabar is small and quiet with the deeply indented Long Bay and a golden beach. The area is named after a 1931 shipwreck: the Malabar was en route to Singapore when it ran aground in heavy fog.
The southern headland has a golf course but I walk northwards into the wilder expanses of the northern headland, past sobering memorials to those killed in the Bali Bombing on 12th October 2002 when 202 people died, and to Morgan Hill, a 26 year-old policeman who shot himself in his car on 27th March 2009. I was curious and googled who he was – the inquest notes are a harrowing lesson in stress and depression and how easy it is to miss or dismiss the signs.
Due to Japanese submarine activity the headland was developed by the army for coastal defences – it was combat ready from 1942-1943.
Never needed, the guns were finally removed in 1962 although the central section is still used by the NSW Rifle Association. However, the eastern and western portions were developed as a National Park between 2012-16.
It is quite a wild, scrubby area, still littered with graffiti laden artillery towers but it protects some of the last Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub. The dirt track leads to the high cliffs and rocky shelves at Boora Point where I step gingerly on striated spikey sandstone.
A wide walkway continues on around the headland to Magic Point, a beautiful, rocky expanse of sandstone where kestrels wheel overhead and the dull thump of waves can be felt underneath.
There is a derelict blockhouse on the tip but for a little while one can turn one’s back on civilisation and enjoy the rugged cliffs whose instability can be glimpsed in the many rockfalls at their base.
The track finally leads down to Maroubra with its wide expanse of beach. There is the popular Pavilion Beachfront restaurant by the blue lifeguards building or snack from the kiosk at the back – there are lots of shady picnic tables and with the usual Aussie efficiency, toilets, showers, changing rooms and free wifi!
Climbing the hill out of town I come upon the magnificent Mahon open air rock pool where the ocean spills over the edges with each wave. It was a 1935-36 depression era project.
Surrounded by tiers of sandstone ledges, people were sprawled in attitudes of abandon all over the hillside: it reminded me of a classical Roman bath. Both the air and the water were a balmy 21°.
I climbed further up the hill to more rocky ledges, then down again to another expanse of rock where the Rob Walker Rockpool hides. Unfortunately the tide was too high to follow the ledges around beside the water, necessitating a steep climb up to the main road and onto Cuzco Road from where I was able to drop down to rejoin the track.
A little alley led through to the Ivor Rowe pool which is small and cute and dangerously close to the sea – signs warned of two deaths and gave resuscitation instructions. I watched a fisherman living dangerously before continuing on the boardwalk which now closely hugged the coast.
There was a small wetland area before I emerged above Coogee, passing two more natural pools: Wylie’s Baths were built in 1907 and measure an Olympic sized 30 x 50 m – indeed many swimmers used them for training. The website warns that it is a live pool with all the possibilities of marine life! It is open 365 days a year, there is a $6 entry fee and massages are available.
McIvers Baths, the only surviving ladies baths in Australia, are very discreetly tucked away under the cliffs. They date back formally to 1876 – more recently the discrimination laws had to be amended to allow them to remain ladies only! They charge $2.50 for entry.
Soon after stairs lead down to the busy Coogee Beach with yet another ocean pool nestling just below them: the little Ross Jones Memorial Pool which has free entry. The sands are busy with sunbathers and people are swimming and surfing.
I finish the day at the buzzy Coogee Pavilion where the ground floor has casual wining and dining in an airy space. They have a good range of colourful cocktails and the scenic rooftop bar has late night music.
The next morning I awake early and venture out in the coolness of petrichor and quiet. Yet even at 5 am there is activity: a tractor hoovers the beach, there are street sweepers, early morning dog walkers, fishermen and joggers who run barefoot on the sand.
Australia arises early and the corner coffee shop is open at 5.30 am – he will probably be surfing by 11! The low silhouette of Wedding Cake Island is dark on the horizon backlit by a bank of clouds in an orange lightening sky.
By 5.30 am there is quite a crowd but the sunset when it comes is less dramatic than the early colours. Coogee awakes – it really does seem just another day in Paradise.
NOTES
Accommodation: There are two great options within metres of each other: for great rooms with beach views check out the Coogee Sands Hotel handily next to Coogee Pavilion. The budget recommendation is Coogee Beach House, just around the corner on Arden Street.
The walk is about 9 km long and quite straightforward. There are good bus options to Maroubra but little to Malabar – it might be best to do the headland as a loop walk (7km) from Maroubra if relying on public transport.
