Coogee At Sunrise

It's been very hot indeed for the past month in Sydney. Not only have the daytime temperatures been in the thirties (and occasionally the low forties), but the nighttime temperatures have been in the low to mid twenties. After yet one more hot and humid night, I decided I'd had enough, and, rather than wait for daylight, I set off for the beach in the wee dark hours. I got to Coogee sometime around six, and sat up on the cliff to watch the first light come. As the light grew stronger, I walked down to the beach to watch the sun rise from the Pacific.

At the pool below the Surf Lifesavers Club

There were already several people on the sand. Some were meditating, some were swimming, some were paddling surf skis, some were jogging and some were photographing the dawn with huge cameras and tripods. My cheap Tescos camera couldn't compete with that, but I took a couple of snapshots anyway.

Sitting on the cool sand watching the sun rising

I sat for a good while, accompanied by seagulls and seaweed, at the edge of the beach where the waves were breaking. The sand was cool and the breeze from the water was also cool, so I forgot about the heat, and just watched the sun slowly rise.

Walking to Giles Baths for a swim

As the sun got higher in the morning sky, I set off for a swim. It's been quite some time since I swam in the rock pool below the old Giles Baths, so I headed over there. It was still not really light, and it was a lot of fun jumping off the rocks into the dark water. Surf was gushing over the rocks, and I loved being washed around by the foam. I swam up and down the pool until it was light, then walked slowly back along the beach.