Coggee-2025

While then tropical cyclone Alfred was hovering around the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, in early March 2025 I returned to Coggee Beach, Koojay in the Dharug language on Bidjigal and Gadigal country, assuming the swell might be quite spectacular- it was. I've also included some photos from 11 March 2023 about 40 minutes after low tide to compare to the photos I took on 6 March 2025 starting from about 2.5 hours after high tide.

Coggee Beach faces east and is about 8 km in a direct line southeast from Sydney City, just under 10 km by road. At the northern end of the beach is the site of the former Giles Baths, formed from a natural rock pool which had been enlarged and walled in with sandstone in about 1928 for men's only nude bathing. Over time some of the stone blocks were probably eroded away, but sufficient remain for it to be calmer than surrounding surf in rough conditions.

In 2025, when I was there, 12 or so young people were swimming about and about half of them lined themselves along the eastern wall to experience the waves crashing over them as they rolled in. It was a thick cloudy day but from time to time there were sufficient gaps in the clouds that allowed the sun to shine through and reflect off some of the thicker greyer clouds that gave a beautiful quality to the light that I particularly appreciate.