Many Sydneysiders would die for these views…and that’s the only way they'll get them. Blanketing the clifftops between Bronte and Clovelly beaches, the white marble gravestones here are dazzling in the sunlight. Eighty thousand people have been interred here since 1877, including writers Henry Lawson and Dorothea Mackellar, and cricketer Victor Trumper. It’s an engrossing (and surprisingly uncreepy) place to explore, and maybe to spot a whale offshore during winter. The Bondi to Coogee coastal walk heads past it.

Tours of the Waverley Cemetery run most Saturdays at 9am, costing $24.18. Book your spot via Eventbrite.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Sydney attractions

1. Clovelly Beach

0.32 MILES

It might seem odd, but this concrete-edged ocean channel is a great place to swim, sunbathe and snorkel. It’s safe for the kids, and despite the swell…

2. Bronte Beach

0.39 MILES

A winning family-oriented beach hemmed in by sandstone cliffs and a grassy park, Bronte lays claims to having the oldest surf-lifesaving club in the world…

3. Tamarama Beach

0.63 MILES

Surrounded by high cliffs, Tamarama has a deep tongue of sand with just 80m of shoreline. Diminutive, yes, but ever-present rips make Tamarama the most…

4. Dolphin Point

0.82 MILES

This grassy tract at Coogee Beach’s northern end has superb ocean views and the Giles Baths ocean pool. A sobering shrine commemorates the 2002 Bali…

5. Coogee Beach

0.93 MILES

Bondi without the glitz and the poseurs, Coogee (locals pronounce the 'oo' as in the word ‘took’) has a deep sweep of sand, historic ocean baths and…

6. Bondi Beach

1.36 MILES

Definitively Sydney, Bondi is one of the world’s great beaches. It’s the closest ocean beach to the city centre (8km away), has consistently good (though…

7. Ben Buckler Point

1.44 MILES

Forming the northern tip of the Bondi horseshoe, this point offers wonderful views of the entire beach. The 235-tonne, car-sized rock near the beach’s…

8. Bondi Pavilion

1.44 MILES

Built in a blended Mediterranean/Georgian Revival style in 1929, ‘The Pav’ is more a cultural centre than a changing shed, although it does have changing…