Coogee Beach is a great beach with calm surf and is family-friendly. The promenade area has restored historic buildings and nurtured parklands.

Most of the facilities are located at mid-beach with showers, change rooms and toilets near the Arden Street bus stop.

Upmarket restaurants now jostle with fish and chip shops and an increasing number of boutiques.

As the beach curves south, the park leads into Grant Reserve, which has an enclosed lawn and a children's playground. A path veers off towards the most controversial feature of the area, the women's pool. Next door is Wylies Baths, an ocean pool with a grand wooden platform, a good length for laps.

Coogee is the ideal spot to begin the coastal walk to Bondi along a clearly marked pathway with stunning ocean views.