page_title: Coogee, New South Wales
section_title: Geography and landmarks
hierarchical_section_title: Coogee, New South Wales / Geography and landmarks
caption_attribution_description: English: Coogee Beach
context_page_description: Coogee is a beachside suburb of local government area City of Randwick 8 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is also a part of the Eastern Suburbs region.
  The Tasman Sea and Coogee Bay along with Coogee Beach lie towards the eastern side of the suburb. The beach is popular among families and famous for its safe swimming conditions. The boundaries of Coogee are formed mainly by Clovelly Road, Carrington Road and Rainbow Street, with arbitrary lines drawn to join these thoroughfares to the coast in the north-east and south-east corners.
context_section_description: Coogee Bay Road runs from Randwick to Coogee Beach which is relatively protected through its formation as a bay. The surrounding coastline is mostly cliffs, decreasing in height down to the beach in the western part of the bay. The bay is sheltered from the roughest seas by Wedding Cake Island, a rocky reef about 800m off the southern headland. There is an annual swimming event around the island in November.
  The beach itself drops off rapidly at the edge of the water, which can result in a dangerous shore break particularly when the surf is large. The combination of this shore break and high visitor numbers mean that Coogee has more spinal injuries than any other Australian beach.
  In larger surf, there are often rip currents at both the northern end and at the southern ends, and also quite frequently in the centre of the beach. These are simply the places where the incoming water escapes most naturally. It is claimed by some locals that the rip in the centre of the beach is partly caused by the remaining foundations of the old entertainment pier (see above – history).
  At the northern end of the beach are stairs leading from Dolphin Point down to the old Giles baths. This is now an open rock pool carved out of the surrounding rocks. This area is now known as "Dolphin Point". The doorway and a four-metre high bronze sculpture serve as a memorial to twenty of the Australian victims of the 2002 Bali bombing who were residents of Coogee and its neighbouring suburbs, including six members of the Coogee Dolphins rugby league team.
  A short walk further to the north is Gordons Bay, which is a popular location for snorkeling. At the southern end is the Ross Jones Memorial Pool just below the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club. Also at the southern end are two small reefs, the inner and the outer. Further south is a coastal walk that goes past the women's baths and Wylie's Baths.
  Coogee is one of Australia's more densely populated areas, with apartment buildings in every style from the 1930s onwards. Some free-standing houses remain. The suburb is a popular destination for tourists, particularly backpackers. 
  The Coogee Bay Hotel is an important local landmark, and is home to Selina's, one of Sydney's most iconic live music venues. The history of Selina's goes back for over 40 years, and the venue has hosted the likes of INXS, Nirvana, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, The Prodigy, Midnight Oil and the Sex Pistols - among many more. Selina's closed in 2015, relaunching in 2016 with new a focus on local rising stars. The venue hosts free live music from up-and-coming local artists and bands every Friday night, including genres such as folk, pop, rock and indie.
caption: Coogee Beach
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