La Perouse

We like to start our mornings on the headland, squinting at Bare Island like it’s a celebrity in a small-town play — planes threading across Botany Bay, the sun doing its punctual thing, and us pretending we haven’t seen the same view a thousand times. Back in the day we'd tell visitors to catch the L94 from Central as the sensible way to kick off the La Perouse to Yarra Bay walk; three kilometres, panoramic views, and enough salty breeze to reset your mood and your hair.

Our weekend ritual used to involve a slow loop: a coastal stroll through Kamay Botany Bay National Park, a pit stop by the La Perouse Museum and its Cable Station plaques, and an argument over whether Congwong or Little Congwong Beach was the better hideout. We’ll admit La Perouse wears its history on its sleeve — Bare Island’s fort, the museum’s displays, and even the NSW Golf Club’s cliff-top holes that make your swing feel dramatically small.

Petty local drama? We’ve had our share. Randwick Council once floated scrapping free beach parking and stirred the kind of civic outrage normally reserved for sliced bread. And there was that terrible moment when beaches — Little Bay included — were closed after the fatal shark attack in 2022; the town went quiet and everyone remembered why the sea is both generous and mysterious.

Who would hate living here? People who crave anonymity in a suburb that refuses it — you’ll be spotted on the headland, at the Blak Markets in front of the La Perouse Museum (1542 Anzac Parade), or mid-complaint about the ferry of tourists who arrive for the sunset. If you loathe wind, vistas of planes, or the idea of clothing-optional swimmers a stone’s throw from Bare Island (Time Out mentioned that, not us), this isn’t your cup of tea.

Who would love it? Walkers, sunset chasers, history nerds, market browsers, and anyone who appreciates a small place that does big views. And for old-school food nostalgia: The Boatshed once presided over Frenchmans Bay, and Bare Grill and Cafe earned its reputation with grilled burgers and that infamous 'Death by Burger' stunt — if you remember those, you remember us.