Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Beaches
Whether you join the procession of the bronzed and the beauti-
ful at Bondi, or surreptitiously slink into a deserted nook hidden
within Sydney Harbour National Park, the beach is an essential
part of the Sydney experience. Even in winter, watching the
rollers break while you're strolling along the sand is exhilarat-
ing.
Beach Culture
In the mid-1990s an enthusiastic businesswoman obtained a concession to rent loungers on
Tamarama Beach and offer waiter service. Needless to say, it didn't last long. Even at what
was considered at the time to be Sydney's most glamorous beach, nobody was interested in
that kind of malarkey.
For Australians, going to the beach is all about rolling out a towel on the sand with a
minimum of fuss. And they're certainly not prepared to pay for the privilege. Sandy-toed
ice-cream vendors are acceptable; martini luggers are not. In summer one of the more un-
usual sights is the little ice-cream boat pulling up to Lady Bay (and other harbour beaches)
and a polite queue of nude gentlemen forming to purchase their icy pops.
Surf lifesavers have a hallowed place in the culture and you'd do well to heed their in-
structions, not least of all because they're likely to be eminently sensible and in your best
interest. It's not coincidental that the spark for racist riots in Cronulla a few years back was
an attack on this oh-so-Australian institution.
Ocean Pools
If you've got kids, shark paranoia or surf isn't your thing, Sydney's blessed with a string of
40 man-made ocean pools up and down the coast, most of them free. Some, like Mahon
Pool, are what are known as bogey holes - natural-looking rock pools where you can safely
splash about and snorkel, even while the surf surges in. Others are more like swimming
pools; Bondi's Icebergs is a good example of this kind.
