Bondi Beach, New South Wales

Bondi Beach or Bondi Bay ( /ˈbɒndaɪ/ bon-dy) is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Bondi Beach is located 7 km (4 mi) east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council, in the Eastern Suburbs. Bondi, North Bondi and Bondi Junction are neighbouring suburbs.

History

"Bondi" or "Boondi" is an Aboriginal word meaning water breaking over rocks or noise of water breaking over rocks. The Australian Museum records that Bondi means place where a flight of nullas took place.

In 1809, the road builder William Roberts received a grant of land in the area. In 1851, Edward Smith Hall and Francis O'Brien purchased 200 acres (0.81 km2) of the Bondi area that included most of the beach frontage, which was named the "The Bondi Estate." Hall was O'Brien's father-in-law. Between 1855 and 1877 O'Brien purchased his father-in-law's share of the land, renamed the land the "O'Brien Estate," and made the beach and the surrounding land available to the public as a picnic ground and amusement resort. As the beach became increasingly popular, O'Brien threatened to stop public beach access. However, the Municipal Council believed that the Government needed to intervene to make the beach a public reserve. On 9 June 1882, the Bondi Beach became a public beach.

On 6 February 1938, 5 people drowned and over 250 people were rescued or resuscitated after a series of large waves struck the beach and pulled people back into the sea, a day that became known as "Black Sunday"..

Bondi Beach was a working class suburb throughout most of the twentieth century. Following World War II, Bondi Beach and the Eastern Suburbs became home for Jewish migrants from Poland, Russia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Germany, while a steady stream of Jewish immigration continues into the 21st century mainly from South Africa, Russia and Israel, and the area has a number of synagogues, a kosher butcher and the Hakoah Club. The migration funded and drove gentrification of the suburb throughout the 90's into the turn of the century, moving it steadily from its working class roots towards upper/middle class enclave similar to its neighbors of Rose Bay and Bellevue Hill which was listed as the most expensive zip code in the country in 2003, 2004, 2005.

The Local Government Act, Ordinance No. 52 (1935) governed the decency of swimming costumes and was in force between 1935 and 1961, and resulted in public controversy as the two-piece "bikini" became popular after World War II. Waverley Council's beach inspectors, including the legendary Aub Laidlaw, were responsible for enforcing the law and were required to measure the dimensions of swimwear and order offenders against public decency off the beach. While vacationing in Australia during 1951, American movie actress Jean Parker made international headlines when she was escorted off the beach after Laidlaw determined her bikini was too skimpy. The rule became increasingly anachronistic during the 1950s and was replaced in 1961 with one requiring bathers be "clad in a proper and adequate bathing costume", allowing for more subjective judgement of decency. By the 1980s topless bathing had become common at Bondi Beach, especially at the southern end.

Sydney's Water Board maintained an untreated sewage outlet not far from the north end of the beach which was closed in the mid 1990s when a deep water ocean outfall was completed.

The beach

Bondi Beach is about one kilometre long (≈0.6 miles) and receives many visitors throughout the year. Surf Life Saving Australia has given different hazard ratings to Bondi Beach in 2004. While the northern end has been rated a gentle 4 (with 10 as the most hazardous), the southern side is rated as a 7 due to a famous rip current known as the "Backpackers' Express" because of its proximity to the bus stop, and the unwillingness of tourists to walk the length of the beach to safer swimming. The south end of the beach is generally reserved for surfboard riding. Yellow and red flags define safe swimming areas, and visitors are advised to swim between them.

There is an underwater shark net shared, during the summer months, with other beaches along the southern part of the coast. Pods of whales and dolphins have been sighted in the bay during the months of migration. Fairy penguins, while uncommon, are sometimes also seen swimming close to shore or amongst surfers in southern line-up.

In 2007, the Guinness World Record for the largest swimsuit photo shoot was set at Bondi Beach, with 1,010 women wearing bikinis taking part.

Bondi Beach was added to the Australian National Heritage List in 2008.

Sport and recreation

Bondi Beach is the end point of the City to Surf Fun Run which is held each year in August. The race attracts over 63,000 entrants who complete the 14 km run from the central business district of Sydney to Bondi Beach. Other annual activities at Bondi Beach include Flickerfest, Australia's premier international short film festival in January, World Environment Day  in June, and Sculpture By The Sea in November. In addition to many activities, the Bondi Beach Markets is open every Sunday. Many Irish and British tourists spend Christmas Day at the beach.

An Oceanway connects Bondi to South Head to the north and other beaches to the south up to Coogee.

Bondi Beach hosted the beach volleyball competition at the 2000 Summer Olympics. A temporary 10,000-seat stadium, a much smaller stadium, 2 warm-up courts, and 3 training courts were set up to host the tournament.

Lifesaving clubs

Bondi Surf Bathers' Life Saving Club  is the world's first surf lifesaving club and North Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club is a federation club. Both clubs were founded in 1907. Bondi members invented the surf reel and many other icons of lifesaving. Surf Lifesavers from both clubs were involved in the largest rescue ever on a single day, known as 'Black Sunday'. Bondi holds the most Australian Surf Lifesaving Championship gold medals in R&R (rescue & resuscitation) and North Bondi hold the most gold medals in March Past.

Bondi Icebergs

The Swimming Club's origin dates back to 1929 and owes its origins to the desire of a band of dedicated local lifesavers who wished to maintain their fitness during the winter months. They formed the Bondi Icebergs Winter Swimming Club and drew up a constitution and elected office bearers. Included in the constitution was a rule that to maintain membership it was mandatory that swimmers compete on three Sundays out of four for a period of five years.

The Icebergs became licensed in 1960 and the members moved from a tin shed into comfortable premises with Bar and Poker Machines. A further update took place in the 1970s enabling the Club to operate on two floors. In 1994, female members were admitted and in 2002 the Club opened their new premises.

Commercial area

Bondi Beach has a commercial area along Campbell Parade and adjacent side streets. Bondi Beach features many popular cafes, restaurants and hotels, with spectacular views of the beach.

The Hotel Bondi is a landmark on Campbell Parade. It was built from 1915-1920s and was designed by E.Lindsay Thompson. It combines Italianate, Federation and Free Classical elements and has been described as an "important landmark building in the Bondi Beach townscape." It has a state heritage listing.

The nearby Swiss Grand Hotel is also a landmark development on Campbell Parade, opposite the beach. It was built on the site of an old service station that had been derelict for many years.

Bondi Pavilion is a community cultural centre, located right on Bondi Beach, which features a theatre, gallery, rehearsal, meeting and function rooms, art workshop, studios. Bondi Pavilion is the centre for major festivals performances throughout the year. It has a state heritage listing.

Does your routine life feel like an old broken record that keeps repeating itself over and over again? Imagine a cool sea breeze brushing against your face as you stretch lazily under the umbrella. Change of mood? Take a dip in the bracing water and rejuvenate your senses. Sydney offers you the prospect to break free from the monotonous, stagnant life and live it up a little. Bondi Beach is undeniably the dreamland for beach lover’s out there.

It is situated in the suburb of Bondi, seven km from Sydney. Characterized by stretches of while, sandy beaches and audacious surfing, this trendy coastline is definitely a tourist. It would be unfair to say that Bondi is just a beach; it has much more to offer than the obvious. Tourists from all around the world book cheap flights to Sydney, Australia to experience the enviably breath taking beach of Bondi.

The word Bondi may sound peculiar to many. However the name Bondi derived from an aboriginal word that means ‘surf’. The surfing conditions can differ from clam quiet waves to very big surf able ones, all varying from one day to the other. For the convenience of tourists, precise areas have been marked for swimming board riders and body surfing. Two rock pools are available at the beach’s either ends just in case the surf gets too great for ones enjoyment.

Throw on a casual t-shirt along with flip flops and you are good to go. At Bondi, there is no need to dress up all fancy in order to enjoy the excellent places that feature some of the most magnificent views. Tired of the water? You can find plenty of eateries, great restaurants, happening clubs and pubs. Often hosting exhibitions and entertainment, the Bondi Pavilion is located on the beachfront. This provides a marvelous backdrop as these events continue to entertain the visitors. Roller bladders, skaters and cyclists visit the parkland which lies near the beach. Home to numerous aboriginals, the beach’s northern part holds a handful figure of the rock engravings.

Furthermore, there is a spectacular great coastal walk of about 6km that starts at the beach’s south end, taking in soul stirring ocean sights. All the way to the beach of Coogee, this refreshing stroll allows you to experience a number of comparatively smaller but picturesque beaches. The southern headland coves will surely mesmerize you. All it requires is a lot of patience and a bit of physical work. This arduous journey is without a doubt an enjoyable one. As you reach the entertainment and commercial capital of Australia Coogee, you will have ample of fulfilled choices to engage in or have a tranquil dinner if you wish. There are us services available for those who only want to saunter part of the way, these regular buses will take you back to City or Bondi.

The once sleepy city has now been transformed into an entity that is super- glam. It is one of the preferred destinations for tourists to visit, especially in summer when they can unwind themselves. Also myriad of people visit the Bondi beach to taste an Aussie Christmas essence- an ideal occasion to fest and pamper in merry making. Break the curse of dull, monotonous life and indulge in the captivating sights and sounds of Bondi beach in Sydney.