Ausutralia is a place I always wanted to visit but I never thought I would end up traveling to because it seemed like so far way. In december 2018 my husband and I got the chance to go to Australia for his work.We flew direct from DFW to Sydney which was a 17 hour flight, one of the longest in the world! It honestly did not even feel that long and we were not even that jetlagged. We spent the majority of the time in Bondi and the surrounding area.

Where to stay

We stayed at the QT Bondi which is right in the heart of Bondi and just a few blocks away from the beach. There are not too many hotels in Bondi but this one was perfect! It even had a washer/dryer which was great for being away for so long.

The restaurants around Bondi are all so incredible and the food is so fresh. The best thing to get in the morning is avocado toast or an acai bowl with a coffee. For lunch they have so many beautiful farm to table restaurants. Here are a few picks.

Drake Eatery- Amazing fresh farm to table food, highly recommend the gnocchi but I think the menu changes a lot.

Bondi IceBergs Restaurant- A must do, and we saw Steve Aoki there when we were at dinner. We also went there during the day time for some drinks. It is a real hot spot, lots of bougie people watching.

Vida Surf Shop Cafe- Fantastic Acai Bowls, and also loved the ham and cheese toastie.

Neighbourhood- A little bar with pretty drinks.

Bondi Hardware- We just had some snacks but the fish taco was great and it is also a very beautiful place.

A Tavola Bondi- Delicious Italian food with fresh pasta.

Bill’s Bondi- Another institution in Bondi, we didn’t east here but had some drinks.

The Shop Wine Bar- We also just got wine here but the food looked great and was a very cute local cafe.

Can Cava Pintxos- A tapas restaurant. Highly recommend the cauliflower and the octopus.

Shopping

When you think of Bondi you would not think there is great shopping but they have some of the nicest boutiques I have ever seen. Here are a few recommendations:

Tuchuzy

LMND I Lemonade

Jac + Jack

PLAYA by Lucy Folk

Venroy

Bondi Wash

IXAIH Bondi

General Pants Co.

BONDI BEACH

Bondi Beach is the iconic beach of it’s namesake. The locals here said that it was touristy and we should check out the other beaches. I did not find it to be very touristy but it was humungous.

Bondi Icebergs

Bondi Icebergs is a swim club that has been around since 1929 as a winter swimming club so that local life savers could keep in shape during the winter. To this day it is still the only operating pool in the winter time as well as year round. You do not have to be a part of the club to enjoy the Icebergs ocean pool. The one thing I regret is not actually going to use the pool myself here, we were busy walking around and taking in the sites.

Bondi to Coogee Walk

One of the best things to do in Australia is the coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee. The trip is quite long one way with lots of hills and steps so I definitely don’t suggest walking there and back especially on a hot day. You can start from anywhere on the trail and go in either direction and stop in between many, many times to admire the beauty. We did the walk twice from Bondi to Tamarama, and once from Coogee to Bondi. The scenery in between includes Bronte Beach, Tamarama Beach, Waverley Cemetery (quite possibly the most beautiful cemetery I have ever seen)., Clovelly Beach, Gordon’s Bay, and more! It is hard to say what my favorite part was because it is all incredibly beautiful. Aussie’s all have their opinions on the best beach to go to but I think my favorite beach was Tamarama. The beach is not too big but not too small, it is just right.

The secret spot

Ok so it is not really secret but a lot of people on social media will post this location and not tell you where it is. I am going to tell you where it is because if you get the chance to come to Australia I would not want you to miss out on this beauty. After a lot of research I found out that it is Diamond Bay Reserve in Vacluse. I took a short Uber ride here early in the morning as my husband slept around 6am, when jetlag was actually helpful. Diamond Bay Reserve is a beautiful oasis of nature. There are sweeping cliffs, rainbow birds, and insane waves. There is also a staircase built into the cliffside, but there is really no way down there that I can tell, I would not climb down there as it looks very dangerous.