Coogee
The name Coogee is derived from the Aboriginal word 'koojah' which means ‘bad smell or a stinking place’. The area was so called because of the pungent smell of seaweed that regularly washed up on the shores of the beach. The Aboriginal people who lived in the area found the ocean to be abundant with fish 'of all descriptions from the great whale to the little brim'. On the land, which was thick with timber, kangaroos and wallabies were also prolific in the area and provided a further traditional food source for the local Aboriginal people.
We turned off the Coastal Walk to Ocean View House, 127 Arden St Coogee (corner of Alison St), a Federation style mansion with views of the area. It was built by Philip Wirth and is one of the few surviving large residences in the Coogee area. Each of the six bedrooms had an ensuite bathroom, one of the earliest homes in Sydney to have such facilities. The once extensive grounds around the mansion housed a private zoo, and it is rumoured one of the Wirth's Circus' most famous performers, Alice the elephant, is buried in its grounds. The home stayed with the Wirth family until it was sold in 2009 for five million dollars.
Back to the Coastal Walk to Giles Baths, an open rock pool carved out of the surrounding rocks; the area is known as Dolphin Point. It was originally built in the early 1900s, men only and informally known as Lloyd’s baths. In 1928 a new fitness and health centre, the Giles Gym and Baths were built by Oscar Giles. It included electricity treatments, hydrotherapy, hot sea baths and sweat boxes, said to assist with weight loss. In 1975 a change of ownership introduced squash courts. It was leased until 1998, fell into disrepair and was demolished in 2000.
The Place of Reflection, the 2002 Bali Bombing Memorial at Dolphin Point is a four-metre-high bronze sculpture remembering the 43 NSW victims and, specifically, the twenty victims who lived in and around Coogee, including six members of the Coogee Dolphins rugby league team.
Coogee Pavilion
Coogee Palace Aquarium & Swimming Baths, opened in 1887 with an indoor Swimming pool (25 x 10 meters), an aquarium featuring the tiger shark from the famous Shark Arm case, (where a captured tiger shark regurgitated a human arm. The arm belonged to James Smith, a missing person identified by a tattoo) a great hall that could be used as a roller-skating rink, Canadian toboggan ran down the hillside for over 70 meters, and a herd of 14 donkeys to ride as well as swings, whirligigs, rocking horses, toy boats, aviaries, flower beds, bandstand and an open-air bar. The original 'Coogee Palace' covered the whole block bound by Dolphin, Beach, Bream and Arden streets. A promenade constructed in 1889 could accommodate 3,000 people. From the 1920s, parts of the site were leased to shopkeepers and residents. A conservation order was placed in 1982 and in 1984 the building's huge dome collapsed. Along with some school mates, in the late 70s we used to go there on a Friday night for crepes – it felt so grown up! In 1987 the building was restored and reopened as The Beach Palace Hotel. In 2014 the building was purchased by the Merivale group and reopened as the Coogee Pavilion, a restaurant and bar complex. We stop for lunch – delicious!.
Coogee Pier
As part of the dream of an English style seaside resort, Coogee Pier was an English style amusement pier 180 metres long complete with a 1400-seat theatre, a 600-capacity ballroom, a 400-seat restaurant upstairs, small shops and a penny arcade, built in 1928. The Australian surf attacked the Pier which was demolished in 1933. Lifeguards recently discovered remains of the pier on the ocean floor about 50 metres out from shore.
The shark net was built after the construction of Coogee Pier. It cost 6,750 pounds to build, stretched halfway across the bay and was attached to one of the pylons of the pier. The opening coincided with the unveiling of Giles' Ocean Baths and new surf sheds and attracted a crowd of 135,000 people to ‘Come to Coogee week’ in November 1929. Within four months, the number of bathers had reached 800,000. Floodlights were installed and night surfing attracted 20,000 to 30,000 a night. The net fell into disrepair during World War II and was dismantled.
After tram lines were extended to Randwick in 1881, it is estimated about 7,000 passengers walked the rest of the distance to Coogee Beach as the local horse bus service could not cope with the numbers. The tram line was extended from Randwick to Coogee in 1883 resulting in Coogee becoming a popular summer resort. It was electrified in 1902. Industrial disputes in the power industry forced a curtailment of services in the late 1940s and buses - and cars - began to replace trams. The last tram left Coogee October 23, 1960.
-
The site of the first school built in 1863 and converted into the Coogee Bay hotel in 1872
-
Coogee Beach, slightly chilly for a swim for us
Walking around the waterfront, we saw the Fallen Lifesavers memorial, remembering Australian lifesavers killed in wars. The Surf Life Saving Movement commenced in 1907.
McIver’s Women’s Baths
Wandering further south of Coogee Beach, the heritage listed McIver Women’s Baths, sited on a rock platform, was deepened and formalised to create a safe and usable 20 metre pool from 1876 to 1886 (years before the Giles men only pool). As young girls, Sarah "Fanny" Durack and Wilhelmina "Mina" Wylie frequented the baths, and both went on to become the first women to win gold and silver medals, respectively, at the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games (the first games that allowed women to participate in swimming competition - the 100m freestyle).
Operated by the Randwick Coogee Ladies Amateur Swimming Club since 1923, the baths continue to be a popular swimming venue for a variety of women, including older women, women with disabilities, the Catholic and Islamic community and those who prefer to swim in privacy. In 1995, to reflect its importance to the female community, the site was granted an exemption under the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977. This has served to cement its purpose as a women's-only area, and it is a quality that has widespread support from the women that continue to regularly use the site
Wylie’s Baths
Wylie’s Baths were established in 1907 by Henry Wylie, held the first Australian Swimming Championships and one of the first swimming facilities for mixed gender swimming in Australia. The sculpture is of Mina Wylie, the Olympic silver medallist who was taught to swim in this pool by her father, Henry.
Coogee Rotunda
The Coogee Rotunda on Grant Reserve has hosted live performances, with a gradual grass slope for the audience to sit. Grant Reserve, upon which the Rotunda is sited, contains the Stan Windon Memorial Playground, which is laid out to represent an abstract ship moored to a jetty. Stan was a foundation member of the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club and played rugby for Randwick.
Off to the bus station, near the old tram terminus for the trip home.
References
Clovelly, New South Wales - Wikipedia
https://www.randwick.nsw.gov.au/facilities-and-recreation/beaches-and-coast/beaches/gordons-bay
The Habitat Advocate Clovelly's Blue Groper Archives - The Habitat Advocate
Coogee | The Dictionary of Sydney
McIver Women's Baths - Wikipedia
https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/sport/display/20857-mina-wylie