Beating the wear and tear of jet-lag is always a challenge. For me, it means staying awake all day to begin adjusting to the new time zone. No small feat when traveling from California to Sydney, Australia. So we kept things on the move, meandering our way down the Darling wharf, grabbing a ferry out to the Taronga Zoo, then walking over the hill (from the zoo) to Middle Head Park where we found the path down to Cobbler’s Beach.
Quite stunning that after walking through what must be some of the priciest real estate in all of Australia, past opulent mini-mansions and BMWs, that you suddenly find yourself in what appears to have been a military compound surrounded by strikingly beautiful wilderness area. Just minutes from suburbia, we found the path down to Cobbler’s Beach.
It was late afternoon by the time we arrived as some were already packing up to leave for the day. But Cobbler’s Beach is well situated for late day sun, both on the grassy knoll and the sandy beach that lies below. Seems there were many regulars there on this day, predominantly male, but not in an uncomfortable way. A friend tells us that had we arrived a bit earlier, the coffee boat would have come through – selling beverages to those who queue up in the water. Apparently the coffee boat guy works from beach to beach in the Sydney Harbor. Sorry we missed that.
Our 90-minute stay afforded us enough time for a brief snooze in the afternoon sun before heading back up the hill to catch the 5:21 bus (Number 244) back into downtown Sydney. Seems a whole new “after-work” shift was just arriving in our place; once again, something that seems to be a daily routine of sorts at this pleasant little beach.
As so it goes – our introduction to naturism in Australia. The first of many visits to “nudie beaches” down under. Thanks Cobbler’s Beach. You set a high bar. What more could you ask for from your first day in Sydney?
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