Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The crescent-shaped Bondi Beach, Sydney's most famous beach, looking towards North Bondi
on deck as The Gap's rock
walls loomed. The recovered
anchor is now set into the cliff
near the shipwreck site.
eventually crumbled away, the
present lighthouse was built.
Although designed by Colonial
Architect James Barnet, it was
based on Greenway's original
and was illuminated for the
first time in 1883.
wide in search of the perfect
wave, and inline skaters hone
their skills on the promenade.
Despite a growing awareness
of the dangers of sun expo-
sure
(see p223)
and an
expansion of other cultural
preoccupations, beach life
still defines the lives of many
Australians, who regard it as
healthier than ever.
People seek out Bondi for
its trendy seafront cafés and
cosmopolitan milieu as much
as for the beach. The pavilion,
built in 1928 as changing
rooms, has been a community
centre since the 1970s. Note
that Bondi Beach itself is an
alcohol-free zone.
Bondi Beach
u
@
333, 380, 381. See
Four
Guided Walks
pp144-5.
This long crescent of golden
sand, so close to the city, has
long been a mecca for the
sun and surf set
(see pp54-5).
Throughout the year, surfing
enthusiasts visit from far and
The 1883 Macquarie Lighthouse
overlooking the Pacific Ocean
BONDI SURF BATHERS' LIFE SAVING CLUB
The founding of the surf lifesaving club at Bondi Beach in
1906 gave impetus to the formation of other local clubs,
and ultimately to a global movement. An early club
member demonstrated his new lifesaving reel, designed
using hair pins and a cotton reel. Now updated, it is
standard equipment on beaches worldwide. In 1938,
Australia's largest surf rescue was mounted at Bondi,
when more than 200 people were washed out to sea
by freak waves. Five died, but lifesavers rescued
more than 180, establishing their highly
dependable reputation.
Macquarie
Lighthouse
y
@
324, 325.
6
7
This is the second lighthouse
on this windswept site that is
attributed to the convict
architect Francis Greenway
(see p114)
. He supervised the
construction of the first tower,
which was completed in 1818
and described by Governor
Macquarie as a “noble magni-
ficent edifice”. The colony's
first lighthouse, it replaced the
previous system of bonfires lit
up along the headland and
earned Greenway a conditional
pardon. When the sandstone
Bondi surf lifesaving team at the Bondi Surf Carnival, 1937
