Clovelly

Clovelly was originally named little Coogee and was changed to Clovelly in 1913, named for the village of Clovelly on the north Devon coast, England. William Greville, a clerk in the Colonial Secretary’s department, bought 20 acres of bay frontage for 40 pounds in 1834. Various grand homes were built and demolished. To make access to the foreshores easier for bathers, concrete platforms were built by unemployed men employed by the council during the Great Depression.

Clovelly and Gordons Bay are popular spots for snorkelling and home to enormous blue gropers, the official fish of NSW since 1996. Gropers are born female with a grey brown colouring and some turn into bright blue males later in life.

Different articles refer to both areas being the original home of Bluey, the biggest oldest male groper who was thought to be taken out by a spearfisherman in 2002. Bob Carr, NSW Premier at the time and occasional local snorkeller who had swum with Bluey, was outraged, calling the killer ‘a mongrel’ and announced five new aquatic reserves to protect marine life, one being the Bronte to Coogee Aquatic Reserve. Later the fish was discovered to be another groper. Regardless of whether Bluey’s death had been greatly exaggerated, the event was a catalyst for enhancing the protection of the species.

Gordons Bay

Was named after Lewis Gordon, the Government surveyor who was granted land in the mid-19th century, probably chosen by him. Its a hidden oasis that can only be accessed via the Coastal Walkway.

Raised boardwalks protect the native fauna and a small wetland fed by a natural spring
The beach is lined with racks of boats from the local fishing club
Concrete filled drums about 20 metres apart linked by a chain form the Gordons Bay Underwater Nature Trail, built in 1991, a self-guided scuba diving or snorkelling adventure. The forty-four drums weigh around 200 kilograms each. They were rolled into the water by divers using inflatable bags and are linked by more than 600 metres of chain.