Bondi Beach
Ok, I am in Australia right now… cannot miss a beautiful “pop” experience, going to the Continent’s most popular beach!
Bondi Beach – everyone – at least in Italy – spells it wrong: you have to spell “Bondai Beach”! – is just 7 km from Sydney (see previous post), you get there with an easy 333-bus race (see here for details and route). “You will find a lot of Italians there!”, people warned me. I have to tell you: it’s true, but… most of the Italians I have found there were dead! (suspence here… you will understand at the end of the story)
The name Bondi, that sounds so “fashionable”, actually comes from an ancient Aboriginal word, meaning “the sound of breaking waves”. Maybe less trendy but much more poetic.
The beach is a stunning 1km-stretch of white & fine sand, closed between two rocky promontories, popular for surfing. After a lot of selfies, I see a funny scene: a group of “vintage” ladies stalk an handsome curly surfist, and force him to take a pic with them. 🙂 What should they have told to their husbands after… who knows!. I am not here to waste my time btw, so I prepare my reflex and try my new long-focus lens to take pics of the surfers
On the northern side of the beach – on a danger scale for surfers from 1 to 10 this area is 4 – you find the trainees, on the southern side, marked 7, the expert guys. In addition to surfing, Bondi is popular for its scandalous swimwear: between 1935 and 1961 the City issued an ordinance to ensure a “decency code”. It was very strict, with even inspections and fines. Now of course Bondi is completely free and you can see everything from chador to topless…
The Coastal Walk
From Bondi I start the Coastal Walk. This is a beautiful 6-km path, overhanging the ocean, that carries you from Bondi to Cogee, another beautiful sandy shore. During the walk, other beaches – such as Tamarama Beach and Bronte – and breathtaking cliffs. You see only relaxed smiles around here: people walking, running, jogging, carrying the dog for a walk and sitting on the benches, staring at the amazing ocean. Actually, I found a kind of sadness on the faces of some Asians (no blacks here): being an immigrant in Australia must not be very easy, considering the Australian model “No Way“, so praised also by our Italy’s right-wing. In the event of migrants’ ships interception, in fact, people are actually imprisoned on Nauru and Manus, two islands in the middle of the Pacific.
And people resting in the nearby Waverley cemetery, halfway through the Coastal Walk, what should think about that? Here you find dozens of Abbruizzese, Barone, Bertuccio, Lo Schiavo, side by side with the Callaghan’s from Cork County. All of them came to Australia to seek for a better living for their Anita and their Tony, who, maybe, do not even know that on those rocks waves are breaking, but also their own possibility of existing risked to break forever…
I’ve heard so much about Bondi Beach: for anyone here in Italy dreaming about Australia, I guess that’s the beach you have to go to if you want to be like a local. The color of the sand – and of the ocean – is amazing!
Yes it’s the popular Aussie week-end trip 🙂
Sarebbe la meta perfetta per me e mio marito, lui surfista e io appassionata di storiografia. Appena la bimba Si farà più grande dovremmo davvero prendere in considerazione l’Australia come meta di viaggio!
Ma che meraviglia, sicuramente trovereste entrambi pane per i vostri denti!!! A Melbourne c’è una bellissima biblioteca dove tu potresti fare ricerca ne parlerò in uno dei prossimi post… e il surf è davvero top in Australia!!!
Anche la bimba si divertirà tra qualche tempo 🙂 quanti anni ha adesso?
Un luogo epico che per molti rappresenta la vera essenza delle spiagge australiane. Mi è piaciuta la tua riflessione sugli immigrati, purtroppo il rifiuto del diverso sta diventando un’abitudine
Hai ragione. E’ un clima che fa paura. L’ Australia poi è un Paese meraviglioso ma da questo punto di vista è molto ostile all’immigrazione
I think this beach is really great! Australia is truly a dream destination and I wouldn’t mind seeing this gorgeous beach
Yes it is 🙂 in Australia you really find everything, from the beaches to the desert… and cities like Sydney and Melbourne are amazing!!!
I went there many years ago, I still remember the colours of that Beach. I liked very much Australia, I found it so wild and great. I would like to come back for another journey 😍
Wow, the colour pf the sea it’s just breathtaking! I didn’t know what Bondi meant, but it’ poetic for sure.
I didn’t know as well, it surprised me! It did not sound as an aboriginal sound at all!
Bondi beach one of the Australian icons, beautiful atmosphere, I have been there, I loved Coastal Walk
Mee too 🙂 my sister has lived in Sydney for some months and this was her favourite Sunday walk!
I did’t Know Bondi Beach so thank you so much! The sea’s Colors is amazing
Yes it is, really 🙂 deep blue and bright white!
I went to Australia many years ago and I saw Bondi Beach, I rembered all, it was a great journey, I liked very much Sidney so a beautiful city!