Port Stephens to Bondi

Considering the night we had last night a surprising number of us are up for sunrise today. It isn’t as clear as yesterday but it is still a lovely way to start one’s day; on a beach watching the sun rise. After the sun is in the sky and the group is ready to go, we are off to town for our dolphin spotting boat ride. We get to town and it is sweltering and we have some time to kill, I end up playing chess with Emit one of the Irish lads on the tour on a giant chess board painted on the floor. After which I hide from the sun as well as I can until it is time to board the boat. Once on board I treat myself to a cold beer as we set off out of the harbour, it isn’t long until the captain is on the tannoy telling us all where to look to see dolphins that are swimming alongside the boat. To be honest it isn’t that easy to see them and even when one does it is a very quick glimpse of a fin or two. As such I find myself sitting inside hiding from the sun, that is until they announce that the net is now in use. At the back of this boat is a massive net that is slowly dropped into the sea for people to sit in and get dragged along in the sea behind the boat as we sail around. I am of course well up for this and am one of the first people in the net. It is a fairly chilled experience until the net fills up and the engines start, then suddenly everyone is trying to find a position to hang onto the rope for dear life so as to not be taken by the waves and smashed into a stranger. The best part is when in the corner of the net I look over and see a pod of dolphins swimming about five meters to our side riding the waves and leaping from the water in the manner we all think of when we think of dolphins. After awhile everyone has had enough of being battered by the waves so climb out of the net in a not so elegant manner and dry off before being allowed back in the boat. Once back on I eat the sandwich I made at breakfast and brought with me to avoid buying lunch; a ‘Bargain Babe’ plan.

Dawn at the beach

Once we are off the boat and have had lunch we are back to the hostel to change and pack before loading onto the bus and heading back to Sydney. It is a chilled afternoon and evening, to be honest I need it – two mornings up at sunrise is too many! So once back I just get on with doing some laundry a process that is made more complex by being in a hostel, as there is limited machines with on average, I estimate, about three per hundred or so people staying. After that is done I meet up with the Bargain Babes for dinner, they have gone to Woolies and bought what was needed for some pasta and I am more than happy to take a share. After stuffing my face I spend my time chilling in the room watching TV until I drift off to sleep. I am looking forward to tomorrow we are doing a long walk from Coogee Beach to the world famous Bondi Beach.

Waiting for the dolphin spotting boat trip

Bronte Beach

Worth the wait

The group poses with a backdrop of Bondi beach

Waterfront Waverly Cemetery

I wake up feeling refreshed, well as refreshed as one can be in hostel bed where the mattress is shorter then you. The group meets in reception ready to catch the bus to Coogie to start our walk. Jake the trainee guide is taking us, he is late to meet us and then takes us on a bit of walk around getting himself lost before getting us to the stop just in time for the bus. The bus journey itself is a breeze and before we know it we are at Coogie beach and ready to start our walk. It is a lovely coastal walk down winding paths and with many beautiful views. We pass Waverly Cemetery, a famous graveyard on the hillside looking out to sea. To be honest it looks like a lovely resting place until Jake tells us a plot here cost in the tens of thousands, yikes! The walk ends with us getting to the world famous Bondi, home of the Bondi Rescue crew and we can actually see the cameras on the beach filming. Jake tells me about the show, I had thought it was a babe watch type thing but some of the stories he tells me, including an episode where a child witnesses his father’s dead body being dragged from the sea, makes me realise it is more serious than that. Bondi is a infamously dangerous beach with strong tides and high numbers of sand banks and surrounded by rocks, its nickname is Backpackers Rip. As we get into Bondi town the group head for lunch, the place we go to is a bit pricey and we are squished onto some tables outside to the point where some of us would be eating on our laps. The Bargain Babes and I decide to head to a different place for lunch and end up in Grill’d, a local burger chain which is very nice.

After food we head to Bondi Junction to mooch around the shops. I am after a little portable speaker. I have wanted one for ages but didn’t necessarily trust getting one in Asia as I wanted a waterproof one. Well after a few clothes shops I get to a discount tech shop and find what I am looking for: success! Next stop is another Woolies for dinner bits for tonight, the Babes and I are going for Jacket Potato, something I haven’t eaten in so long and have been craving. So once back at the hostel and settled we head to the kitchen and get to making dinner. We only have microwaves but we make it work. The girls are having tuna but I go for the classic beans and cheese and although not as good as an oven baked jacket, it is still a delicious treat and the exact sort of filling meal I want before what we have planned for tonight: a group pub crawl with my group and the five seekers I will be joining come Saturday. It is only three bars but we have a good time enjoying a random firework display on the way. The crawl ends at Side Bar where Jax Jones was performing. So the night is spent dancing and drinking away to a somewhat familiar UK DJ.

Coogee beach

Bondi beach pool

The famous Bondi beach

Random fireworks

Arriving at Bondi beach