Bondi Beach Australia

#Bondi_Beach_Australia

The Aboriginal name of Boondi means "Water Breaking Over Rocks"
Once private land, it was declared a public beach in 1881 after the local government intervened to prevent that right from being terminated

Fun Facts
A) The original blue-green exterior of the Apple iMac computer was named "Bondi Blue" from the colors of the water here at the beach
B) Filming location for many films and the reality TV Series Bondi Rescue, which has brought the area to an international audience
C) In the 1930s & 40s gymnasts would entertain the visitors with their skill in the sand, which led to the term "beachobatics"

 

The Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club

Iconic Ocean Pools
In 1929 the Iceberg Winter Swimming Club was established by the Bondi Surf Bathers members
 Some who wanted to continue their swimming plus fitness regime during the colder winter season
But now both are run as separate entities
Interesting Fact
It requires its members to swim on three of four Sundays per month and must be fulfilled for five consecutive years to maintain your good standing

Bondi Surf Bathers 
Founded in 1907, this volunteer organization is the worlds oldest lifeguard outfit
It has performed over 27,000 rescues to date 

Black Sunday
In 1938, there were 35,000 people on the beach that day because of a heatwave, then a series of massive waves swept around 200 people into the sea
 The 70 Bondi Lifeguards rescued dozens, but unfortunately five lost their lives

The area has always been known for a powerful rip current at the south end of the beach, so much that the locals call it the "Backpackers Express"
 Because the tourists who are unsuspecting or just do not heed the warnings, then often
 get caught up in it

Summer Olympics

In the beginning of this idea to host the Beach Volleyball competition here were met with much backlash plus protest
The area would be off limits for months; with cultural events, local tenants plus businesses would face a huge disruption

But then home town pride kicked in, so the 10,000 seat stadium was constructed in just six weeks
 and as history has showed us;
Bondi was everything the City of Sydney (plus the country of Australia) was trying to project to the world
Fun, Friendly and a Little Cheeky 

Coogee Coastal Walk
From the local Aboriginal word "Koojay" which means stinking seaweed from the decaying kelp that would wash ashore
The infrastructure was the result of the State Government project to create work during the 1930s Great Depression

Few Things to Look For

A) MacKenzie Bay; located as you leave Bondi before Tamarama 
 It sometimes has a sandy beach depending on shifting tides and seasons
 Occasionally staying concealed for years

B) Gordons Bay; it is a protected aquatic reserve and home to an underwater trail
It allows divers or snorkelers to explore by following the chain and concrete drums

C) Whales; from the clifftops plus lookouts you can spot humpbacks during their
migration from May to November

D) Shark Arm Murder Mystery; in 1935 on Coogee Beach when a tiger shark was captured for a local aquarium, it brought up a human arm with a distinctive tattoo.
This led to an investigation that uncovered a complex murder plot

Waverley Cemetery

 

Did You Know

Each type of coin left at a headstone holds a different meaning

A penny signifies that you visited and want to thank the veteran for their service, a nickel left at the grave means you trained at bootcamp with the deceased serviceperson, while a dime suggests you served with them 

The cemetery was established in 1877 and is known for its
Victorian and Edwardian monuments

Sculptures by the Sea
Its the worlds largest free outdoor exhibition

From its humble beginnings;
 The exhibition was held as an one-day event to now with its global reach that attracts
 500,000 visitors each year
It is a temporary gallery that runs for around three weeks each October, as remember we are dealing with the coastal location plus weather so the window to view is short

Moving Forward
The event has a "Decade Club" to acknowledge the artists who was exhibited for at least ten times, with a few reaching Double Decade Club status 

Near the trail look for the Aboriginal rock carvings, which is a form of ancient storytelling 
I read the engravings were done by "Pecking" the soft sandstone with pointed stones or seashells
 then basically connecting the dots to form the lines

Wedding Cake Island
The name is derived from the white caps that break over the rocks
or
 The large amount of bird droppings (guano) which can appear to be like an iced cake

Fun Facts
A) A young pig managed to swim to the island in 1922 then got stranded, with initial reports of noises from the uninhabited rock, a local man went out and rescued the little guy
The next day in the newspaper a nicknamed was born; Porky Crusoe
B) ANZAC Day commemoration, the local surfers paddle out with beer and drinks to toast and honor those fallen war heroes
C) Australian rock band Midnight Oil  did an instrumental song after being inspired by the island, its called Bird Noises
D) Swim Challenge; a 2.4km single lap open water event which many
 consider a "rite of passage" to compete

Sunsets
The vibrant orange and red colors are caused by the suns light traveling through more air, which it then scatters the shorter wavelengths thus allowing the longer wavelengths to been seen ( red / orange)

All that being said, Bondi Beach faces east with the sun going down in the west, but its still awesome

Continuing After Sundown
People gather on the north shore of Bondi to have drinks, picnics or watch
 the last surfers catching waves

It is visited by around 3 million people, i feel fortunate to have been one of those
So as they say in Australian "Thanks Heaps" Bondi 😎