Maroubra lies a few kilometers south of Bondi, a much more famous (and therefore much more crowded) beach. It's still popular in its own right with swimmers and surfers. There is also a pool, built into the rock on the south side of the cliff, which is filled as the waves lap over its edge; it seems like a safer swimming choice, since the riptides can be quite strong. However, its main attractions for me are the beautiful sandstone cliffs that jut out and separate Maroubra beach from Coogee beach. I first discovered Maroubra after I'd left my headlights on after parking at work and found myself in need of a jump start. I was told that I would need to drive around for at least 45 minutes to ensure that my car would start again the next time, so I impulsively decided to drive to Maroubra. There I parked at the edge of the beach and watched the surf roil as a spectacular storm several miles out over the ocean created lightning that lit up huge portions of the sky. I drove up a little further, and then realized that I could see all the way to Bondi as I rounded the bend, the street and home lights limning the shape of the coast. I decided that I had to return in the daytime to get a better view.
I returned a week or so later, during the day, and found that the cliffs were striped and swirled in many lovely shades of buff and rust. At that point I knew that I had to manage to spend at least one sunrise there with a camera--no mean feat, as I am notoriously nocturnal. Several weeks after that I found myself geeking into the wee hours on IRC, and it was almost sunrise before I knew it. My fellow IRCers encouraged me to pull an all-nighter and run down there to take pictures (thanks, folks!). Luckily, there was an 24-hour convenience store where I could get a disposable camera (my real one had fallen and broken), and the early dawn weather was perfect. It was strange to wander around the cliffs with no one else around, feeling that weird clarity one gets from staying awake all night and then venturing out into the fresh morning air, but it was worth it. Here are the results.
