The Coogee Pleasure Pier, a large attraction including a theatre, restaurant and ballroom, was constructed in 1928, but was later demolished in 1934.

[citation needed] The 1888 paintings of Coogee Bay by Charles Conder and Tom Roberts are among the earliest masterpieces of the Heidelberg School or Australian impressionism.

In fact, the first mass rescue, night surf carnival, shark attack and the development of the resuscitation technique are attributed to the CSLSC.

The Catholic Church bought the building in 1922 and it was restored to its original style by Provincial House of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

[16] Other notable buildings in the area include Roslyn, a large Italianate house in Arcadia Street.

The Palace included an indoor Swimming pool (25 x 10 metres), an aquarium featuring the tiger shark from the famous Shark Arm case, a great hall that could be used as a roller skating rink, Canadian toboggan ran down the hillside for over 70 metres, and a herd of 14 donkeys to ride, as well as swings, whirligigs, rocking horses, toy boats, aviaries, flower beds, bandstand, and an open-air bar.

[18] In August 2014, the building re-opened as the Coogee Pavilion[18] in a $30 million+ renovation by the Merivale group, and its director Justin Hemmes.

Eileen O'Connor, a devout but severely disabled young woman, met the first Catholic priest in charge of the Coogee parish, Fr Ted McGrath, in 1911.

Despite the pain and partial paralysis from her spinal condition, O’Connor proved to be an indefatigable and intelligent organizer and teacher whose love and faith inspired her own and later generations of nurses.

Under the leadership of Theresa (Cissie) McLaughlin and later superiors, it has continued to provide a range of services to those in need in inner Sydney and elsewhere.

On 24 July 1928, the pier was officially opened, reaching 180 metres out into the sea complete with a 1400-seat theatre, a 600 capacity ballroom, a 400-seat restaurant upstairs, small shops and a penny (machine) arcade.

Nobody was ever charged over the murder, although another local criminal, Reginald Holmes, was found shot in a car near the Sydney Harbour Bridge the day before the inquest into Smith's death was due to start.

In January 2003, it was noticed that one of the fence rails on Dolphin Point, just north of Coogee Beach, when viewed from a particular angle and distance, resembled a veiled woman.

[citation needed] When this example of pareidolia, a human tendency to perceive vague visual stimuli as human faces, was reported in newspapers many Christians (predominantly Roman Catholic) came daily to worship what they interpreted as an apparition of Mary, the mother of Jesus, although the Roman Catholic Church never officially recognised this alleged apparition.

[22] No particular supernatural powers were attributed to the shadow (dubbed "Our Lady of the Fence Post" by the media, aka "Rail Mary") and interest waned within a few weeks.

While some continued to petition the Catholic Church and the New South Wales government to build a chapel, their claims were not seriously considered.

The tracks were deemed too expensive to repair and the power supply was so inadequate that trams would grind to a halt in inconvenient locations.

The bay is sheltered from the roughest seas by Wedding Cake Island, a rocky reef about 800m off the southern headland.

[27] The beach itself drops off rapidly at the edge of the water, which can result in a dangerous shore break particularly when the surf is large.

The combination of this shore break and high visitor numbers mean that Coogee has more spinal injuries than any other Australian beach.

It is claimed by some locals that the rip in the centre of the beach is partly caused by the remaining foundations of the old entertainment pier (see above – history).

At the southern end is the Ross Jones Memorial Pool just below the Coogee Surf Life Saving Club.

The next most common countries of birth were England 9.9%, Ireland 4.5%, New Zealand 2.6%, United States of America 1.9% and Brazil 1.6%.

The nearby Wylie's Baths, an historic coastal pool facility, has been a longtime supporter of Coogee's water-based sports and recreation.