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Coogee Pier on the day of the opening of the sh...

Coogee Pier on the day of the opening of the sharkproof enclosure 16 November 1929

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Coogee

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Surfing Swimming

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Coogee

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Coogee Pier Coogee shark net

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Coogee Beach

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Coogee

For local Aboriginal people, 'koojah' or Coogee, was a rich source of food, abundant with fish, wallaby and kangaroo. In the nineteenth century the area became a popular weekend destination for picnics, cricket, collecting shells along the beach and swimming. It wasn't until the turn of the twentieth century that residential development really began. Although slow to develop, today the area remains popular with locals, tourists and weekend visitors alike, reflecting the historical nature of Coogee itself.

Swimming

Surfing

Coogee

Eastern beachside suburb which has long been a destination for seaside recreation for Sydneysiders and tourists. Its name comes from an Aboriginal word meaning 'stinking place', probably from the smell of rotting seaweed washed up on the beach.

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Coogee Pier

English style amusement pier 180 metres long complete with a 1400-seat theatre, a 600 capacity ballroom, a 400 seat restaurant upstairs, small shops and a penny arcade.

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Coogee Beach

Popular beach in the eastern suburbs.

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Coogee shark net

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Shark net which was built after the construction of Coogee Pier. It cost 6,750 pounds to build and stretched halfway across the bay and was attached to one of the pylons of the pier. The opening coincided with the unveiling of Giles' Ocean Baths and new surf sheds and attracted a crowd of 135,000 people. Within four months, the number of bathers had reached 800,000. Floodlights were installed and night surfing attracted 20,000 to 30,000 a night. The net fell into disrepair during World War II and was dismantled.