IloveOOv and Coogee, New South Wales: Difference between pages

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[[Image:Coogee (New South Wales).jpg|thumb|250px|Coogee from northern end of Coogee Beach]]

#REDIRECT [[Choi Yeon-Sung]]

'''Coogee''' is a beachside [[suburb]] of [[Sydney]] adjacent to Coogee Bay (the [[Tasman Sea]]) in the east, [[Clovelly, New South Wales|Clovelly]] in the north, [[Randwick, New South Wales|Randwick]] in the west and [[Kingsford, New South Wales|Kingsford]] and [[Maroubra, New South Wales|Maroubra]] in the south.

The boundaries are formed mainly by Clovelly Road, Avoca Street and Rainbow Street, with arbitrary lines drawn to join these thoroughfares to the coast in the north-east and south-east corners.

==History==

[[Image:Wedding_cake_island.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Wedding Cake Island in Coogee Bay]]

The name "Coogee" is said to be taken from a local [[Australian Aborigine|Aboriginal]] word believed to mean "smelly place", or "stinking seaweed"; a reference to the smell of decaying kelp washed up on the beach. Although at certain times large quantities of seaweed are still washed up, it is usually removed before it gets a chance to smell. Early visitors to the area, from the 1820's onwards, were not able to confirm exactly what the word "Coogee" meant, or if it in fact related to Coogee Beach. Another name, "Bobroi", was also recalled as the indigenous name for the locality.

The Aboriginal population had largely relocated by the mid-19th century after being decimated by disease and violent clashes with early settlers, though some Aborigines live in the area today.

Coogee was gazetted as a village in [[1838]], growing slowly until it was connected to the city by electric [[tram]] in [[1902]]. The suburb's popularity as a seaside resort was now guaranteed and the [[Surf Lifesaving|Coogee Surf Life Saving Club]] was founded in 1907. Population growth began in earnest in the 1920s.

An English-style seaside entertainment pier stood at the beach between [[1928]] and [[1934]] but it was demolished after damage by the surf.

Today 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.

On the northern [[headland]] stands the doorway of the old Giles gym and baths, the remainder of which has now been demolished. 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.

==Transport==

Sydney's steam [[Trams in Sydney|tramways]] first reached Coogee in [[1883]] and were electrified in [[1902]]. The trams were replaced by buses from time to time in the 1940s and 1950s as the infrastructure suffered severe neglect during and after WWII. The tracks were deemed too expensive to repair and the power supply was so inadequate that trams would grind to a halt in incovenient locations. Eventually the entire Sydney tram network was scrapped and replaced by buses. The last trams ran to Coogee in [[1960]].

The suburb is now well served by buses, with routes to the Sydney [[Central Business District|CBD]] via [[Randwick, New South Wales|Randwick]], [[Bondi Junction]], [[Eastlakes]] via Maroubra and [[Leichhardt]] via [[Glebe, New South Wales|Glebe]] and [[Newtown, New South Wales|Newtown]].

==Geography and landmarks==

Coogee beach 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 400m off the southern headland.

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 current]]s 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 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. 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 Lifesaving Club]]. Also at the southern end are two small [[reef]]s the inner and the outer. Further south is a coastal walk that goes past the womens baths and Wylies baths.

==Politics==

Coogee is part of the [[City of Randwick]], forming the East Ward together with [[Clovelly, New South Wales|Clovelly]]. It lies in the [[Australian House of Representatives electoral Divisions|Federal electorate]] of [[Division of Kingsford Smith|Kingsford Smith]] (which covers all of south-east Sydney), and the [[New South Wales Legislative Assembly electoral districts|State electorate]] of [[Electoral district of Coogee|Coogee]] (which also includes the suburbs of [[Randwick, New South Wales|Randwick]], [[Waverley, New South Wales|Waverley]], [[Clovelly]], [[Bronte, New South Wales|Bronte]], and [[Bondi Junction]]).

== External links ==

* Information and photos at [http://coogee.web.com Coogee Beach Home Page].

{{Mapit-AUS-suburbscale|long=151.25552|lat=-33.91897}}

[[Category:Incomplete Sydney suburbs]]

[[Category:Suburbs of Sydney]]