Bondi Beach
Australias most famous beach, is located in the suburb of Bondi, in the Municipality of Waverley, seven kilometres from the centre of Sydney. Bondi is believed to be an Aboriginal word meaning the sound of breaking waves. There are Aboriginal Rock carvings on the northern end of the beach at Ben Buckler and south of Bondi Beach near McKenzies Beach on the coastal walk. Bondi Beach is approximately one kilometre long. The width of Bondi Beach averages 50m at the north end, widening out to 100m at the south end. It is the widest beach in the Sydney region. The average water temperature at Bondi Beach in summer is 21 degrees. The average water temperature in September/October is 16 degrees. A shark net is laid about 150m off the beach, set in 8m of water. (There has been no shark fatality since 1937). At the southern end of the beach is the Bondi Baths, which are over 100 years old and have been used by the famous Bondi Icebergs for many years. At the northern end of the beach there is the Childrens Wading Pool and the Wally Weekes Pool. Swimming areas are designated by red and yellow flags, which are moved according to surf conditions. The northern end and the centre of the beach is usually the safest for swimming. The south end of the beach is available for board riders who are not permitted to go into the areas set aside for swimmers.
Life Guards & Life Savers
Waverley Council employs professional lifeguards to protect visitors at Bondi. These professional lifeguards wear blue uniforms and work 365 days a year.
Buildings on the Beach
Bondi Pavilion: the Pavilion, designed in Mediterranean Georgian Revival style was opened in 1929 and built at a cost of 100,000. Among the other pavilions erected at this time, such as those at Balmoral and Cronulla, Bondi is unique as the grandest. (When woollen swimwear was replaced by synthetics which dried quickly swimmers no longer required these changing pavilions.) In the 1970s when no longer needed as a bathers pavilion it was adapted to become the Bondi Pavilion Community Cultural Centre with art gallery, theatre, classes and other cultural activities. A caf/gelateria, restaurant and a souvenir shop also operate out of the Pavilion.
Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club: the club was founded in 1906. Members claim the Bondi Surf Club is the oldest in Australia. The present club house was opened in 1934.
North Bondi Surf Club: the club was founded in 1907. The present Club House, situated to the north of the Bondi Surf Club was opened in 1932. With great views of the beach!!
Related Travel Information
Valla Beach
Valla Beach is lovely and large, with a safe, sheltered, paddling spot for toddlers. Sawtell has some good resorts, wildlife sanctuaries and an Annual Chilli Festival. Valla Beach lies to the north of Nambucca Heads. This small coastal community is a very popular tourist destination with its caravan parks, camping and the Valla Beach Resort.
Capricorn and Whitsunday Coasts
From the Tropic of Capricorn, the Bruce Highway worms its way north through sugar cane fields and along the tropical coast. Between Rockhampton and Towns-ville, some oceanside towns have morphed into backpacker havens like Airlie Beach, while others, such as Mackay, still grimace at the sight of sandals and an unwashed t-shirt. The isolated Eungella National Park, within easy reach of Mackay, rewards its few intrepid visitors with tumbling waterfalls and elusive platypuses. The offshore islands vary in size and flavor, each with its own beaches and maze-like walking trails. Great Keppel Island, almost within sight of
Tathra
From Bega, an alternative route to Merimbula takes you along the coast road via the small holiday and fishing village of TATHRA. Tourist information is dispensed at the helpful Tathra Wharf Trading Post right on the wharf an all-purpose place which also rents out fishing, diving and surfing gear, and has a decent café; there’s a maritime museum upstairs (daily 8am–5pm) Just to the south, coastal Bournda National Park features stunning beaches, brackish lagoons and freshwater lakes: there are NPWS campsites at Hobart Beach on the southern end of Wallagoot Lake
Accommodation ranges from the motel-style units at the Tathra
Beaches in Perth
There are plenty of beaches around Perth, along what has become known as the Sunset Coast. The most famous of them is Scarborough. Scarborough can be reached by taking bus no. 15, 400 or 402 from the Wellington Street Bus Station. One of the nearest ocean beaches to the city is Cottesloe, which is a short walk from Cottesloe Station on the Fremantle Line, or is served directly by bus no. 71. Other beaches stretch north from Cottesloe along the coast, including North Swanbourne Beach, which is Perth’s nudist beach.
Batemans Bay
A delightful small holiday/fishing town on the Clyde River it was named by Captain Cook in 1770 for the captain of one of his previous ships. Being the closest coastal town to Canberra it attracts many visitors and is renowned for its crayfish and oysters.
BATEMANS BAY, at the mouth of the Clyde River and the end of the highway from Canberra, is a favourite escape for the landlocked residents of the capital, just 152km away. It’s not the most exciting place on the coast, but since it’s a fair-sized resort, there’s plenty to do.
Batemans Bay Tourist
