About Coogee

The beautiful coastal suburb of Coogee is not just the backdrop for our festival; it’s a place rich in history and culture. For many centuries, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation lived in the area, where some would have witnessed the arrival of Captain Cook when he entered what is now known as Sydney Harbour.

The village of Coogee was officially founded 12 October 1838 when the plan for the settlement was lodged at the New South Wales Colonial Secretary’s office. The village was established to prevent William Charles Wentworth from securing a large tract of the Sydney coastline, to add to his already substantial personal land holdings. The name ‘Coogee’ is derived from a local indigenous word thought to mean , ‘rotting seaweed’ or ‘place of bad smells’.

The pic below is courtesy of Randwick Council, showing the tram that connected Coogee with Randwick up the hill. 

Hence Stinkwater!

By the 1920s, Coogee was marketed as “Australia’s most Beautiful Seaside Resort”. The Coogee Pier extended 183 metres into the ocean from the middle of the beach but lasted only a few years (1929-1933) before it was largely destroyed in a sea storm and had to be demolished in 1934. It is testament to Coogee’s aspiration to be a British seaside resort in the tradition of Brighton.

Wylie’s Baths opened in 1907 by Henry Wylie, and still operate today beyond the southern extremity of Coogee Beach. The Baths were the training ground for Olympic Silver medallist Mina Wylie, the first Australasian woman to win a silver medal for swimming at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912. They have been beautifully restored. The Coogee Surf Life Saving Club was established in 1907 in premises at the southern end of the beach.

Today, Coogee is a bustling beach suburb with more than it’s fair share of restaurants bars and backpackers. A welcoming community of fit and healthy hedonists call it home.

Here is the pier that Coogee used to have!

About Stinkwater Festival

Stinkwater’s roots extend all the way back to 2005 and the Coogee Arts Festival, founded by Barry Watterson.

Initially a traditional film festival, it expanded in 2006 to include the first Stinkwater Film Making Challenge and ran for the next three years, until the Coogee Arts Festival sadly finished.

Those of us that took part and helped run it have never forgotten the fun we had and now…. it has returned!