Sunrise Over Bondi Beach

Now that winter is well and truly setting in out here in rural Victoria – and I’m woefully unprepared with my lack of warm layers – I can’t help but spend my time daydreaming about the long, hazy beach days back in Sydney. We visited quite a few beaches in our four months there, from Manly to Coogee, Cronulla and of course, Bondi. 

In our final week there, we decided we had to see the sunrise over Sydney’s most famous beach, and so we reluctantly crawled out of bed at 5am and raced from Redfern to Bondi before first light. Our Uber driver didn’t have quite the same sense of urgency but we made it on time, just as light began to spill over the horizon. 

Bondi Beach is beautiful at any time of day, but it was at dawn that I truly got to appreciate just why it’s so popular. Sharing the beach with only a handful of joggers and dog walkers, we took to the glassy ocean for an icy swim, then waited, bundled in our towels, for the sun to rise.

Once the sun was up, we headed to Speedos for a pitaya bowl and a matcha latte, seated at the window with views back over the beach. It was strange to see the ever-bustling Bondi so quiet for once, but by the time we had finished breakfast, it was almost 8am and the crowds had begun to gather.

It’s an experience I’ll remember vividly for years to come, and definitely a ‘how did I get myself here/pinch me I’m dreaming’ kind of moment. It makes me more excited than ever to return to Sydney for three weeks in July, before we start our adventure up the East coast.