Coogee and La Perouse
These posts are about Paul’s experience of living in Coogee, nearby La Perouse, as well as local history and going out for breakfast. Paul’s food posts are on his “Breakfast Oracle” Instagram.
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Where is the best coffee in Coogee?
Sydney’s eastern suburbs brim with cafés, but not all Coogee coffee is created equal. We consider beans, baristas, politics, and…
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The bells of St Brigid’s Coogee
St Brigid’s bell tower has long defined Coogee’s skyline, yet its bells remain strangely silent—and perhaps even absent. Tracing parish…
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Coogee has 4 monuments to the 2002 “Bali bombing” while other local deaths go unacknowledged
Dunningham Reserve at Coogee holds four monuments to the 2002 Bali bombing within a few square metres — an unprecedented…
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Discovering Indigenous Coogee: What’s here, what’s missing and what’s nearby
From the Koojay Corroboree on Coogee Beach to La Perouse, galleries, and cultural tours across Sydney, this essay maps ways…
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Why Coogee is the best place to swim in Sydney
Coastal swimming is in the DNA of Sydneysiders. We are tribal about our beaches and fiercely loyal to our pools.…
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The flannel flower at the heart of Coogee
A large flannel flower is set into the paving at the heart of Coogee Beach — officially recognised as public…
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From ‘souvenir’ to ‘fine art’ – Indigenous women triumph
At La Perouse, finely wrought “souvenirs” of shells reveal a powerful story of Aboriginal women’s artistry, resilience and sea-country knowledge.…
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Why you must visit La Perouse, Sydney
About 20 minutes from Coogee, La Perouse is my favourite place to walk, swim and think. But it’s far more…
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The future of La Perouse Museum?
What should the future La Perouse Museum and First Nations Cultural Precinct look like? Drawing on Kamay’s layered histories, I…
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Dharawal Resting Place: Bringing Aboriginal ancestors home to Country
Since 1970’s Aboriginal Australians have been pressing for the repatriation of the ancestral remains held in museums. Twelve years after…
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Unexpected cultural depths: Art history at Sydney’s eastern beaches
From the impressionist painters who made Coogee worth picturing, to Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s monumental Wrapped Coast at Little Bay —…
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The case for renaming “Wedding Cake” Island
From royal icing and colonial nostalgia to a stranded pig and ocean swims, this essay traces how Coogee’s offshore landmark…
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Where the Coogee coastline is coming back to life
South of Coogee Beach, on the famous coastal track, lies one of Sydney’s last remaining coastal wetlands — a small,…
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Coogee’s origin story and the naming of Yanggaa Forest
From stormwater runoff and “fatberg” debris to the quiet resurgence of underwater kelp, this piece traces Coogee’s troubled relationship with…
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Why should you pay to have breakfast with Paul?
That’s a fair question — and here’s my honest answer. I’ve lived in Coogee since 2008 and I know this…
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My life in Coogee
A personal portrait of life in Coogee — the morning swims, the art deco streets, the food, and why this…
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How would you describe Australia to a foreigner?
Three Tourism Australia films that brilliantly capture what it feels like to be in Australia — the blue water, the…
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The Path That Led to iluminar
Paul McCarthy’s life changed direction when he visited Brasil to acquire a crystal light healing apparatus in 2008. He learned…
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Coogee visitor essentials
Everything a first-time visitor to Coogee Beach needs to know before they arrive — visas, currency, weather, transport, dress, and…
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Coogee reading list
From the shark murder mystery to the ladies-only ocean pool, Coogee has inspired some remarkable books. Here is my personal…
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Some great Aussie movies
A curated collection of Australian films — from Indigenous stories and feminist pioneers to larrikin comedies and wartime epics —…
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Aussie music for the walk from Coogee to Bondi
A curated Spotify playlist of 30 Australian songs — from Gurrumul to Kylie, Paul Kelly to Midnight Oil — with…
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A most extraordinary story…
Eileen O’Connor, Mary Mackillop, Our Lady of Coogee and a chain of synchronicities — the extraordinary story of a saint-in-waiting…
