I Want to Travel for Cheap: Australia Day 6--Paddy's Market, Bondi to Coogee Walk & Darling Harbour

Australia series

Australia Day 1--Qantas flight 8 DFW-BNE (Dallas to Brisbane)
Australia Day 2--Flight to Sydney, the Westin Sydney hotel & sightseeing
Australia Days 3/4--Hunter Valley & the Blue Mountains
Australia Day 5--Sydney sightseeing and Manly Beach
Australia Day 6--Paddy's Market, Bondi to Coogee Walk & Darling Harbour
Australia Day 7--Sydney to Cairns, Holiday Inn Cairns & the Cairns Esplanade
Australia Day 8--The Great Barrier Reef
Australia Day 9--Kuranda Koala Gardens, Skyrail & Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park
Australia Day 10--Daintree Rainforest & Cape Tribulation
Australia Day 11--Going home, Part 1, Cairns to Brisbane
Australia Day 11--Going home, Part 2, Brisbane to Honolulu

This was our last day in Sydney. I had read online that Paddy's Markets was a good place to get cheap souvenirs, so we jumped on the free 555 bus that travels around the CBD, and got off at Hay Street. From there, it was a block to the market. The market was large & had an impressive number of things for sale at various vendors, including souvenirs, clothes, jewelry and beauty products. The souvenirs were basically the same made-in-China stuff found elsewhere, but at much lower prices.

After shopping, we went back to the hotel to drop off our purchases. Then we walked over to Elizabeth Street to catch the bus to the world famous Bondi Beach. The bus cost $3.80, the ride was about 40 minutes.

The Pacific Ocean, Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach was one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. It was a perfectly clear and sunny day. There were surfers in the water, but it was a little too cold to swim for me.

Surfers at Bondi Beach

Swimming pool overlooking the ocean

Skating at Bondi's Winter Magic Ice Rink

The plan was to do the coastal cliff walk from Bondi to Coogee. This walk takes approximately two hours and is of medium difficulty, as there are stairs to go up and down.

During the walk we passed through Tamarama Beach, Bronte Beach, Clovelly before getting to Coogee. One spot of interest was Waverley Cemetery on top of the cliffs near Bronte Beach. What a beautiful spot to have one's final resting place.

Bronte Beach

Waverley Cemetery near Bronte Beach

Clovelly Beach

Coogee Beach

I had really wanted to swim in the Bronte Bath, a free outdoor pool at Bronte Beach, but it was just too cold for me.

Bronte Bath

We were quite tired after the walk, but I thought it was worth it. The views were amazing. At Coogee Beach, we located the bus going back to the Sydney CBD. The bus driver was chatty and feeling quite generous toward us two American gals and let us ride for free.

We got off at a stop near Darling Harbour, but still had to walk a fair bit. As it was Saturday, there were fireworks scheduled to take place at 8:30 pm. Before watching the fireworks, we ate at the Hard Rock Cafe (expensive, but I liked it), and walked around the Harbourside shops.