Bondi Beach
If there’s only one word on a tourist’s lips when they arrive in Australia, Bondi is usually it. Supposedly derived from the Aboriginal word for the sound of water hitting rocks, Bondi is now more than just the waves that break upon its famous beach.
Ever since the ocean baths were opened in 1886 and the first tram arrived a few years later, Bondi Beach has grown from a simple cattle run into a truly iconic piece of Australian landscape. Artists, actors, surfers and tourists… Bondi’s population is as eclectic as its architecture.
Art-deco apartment buildings sit alongside Californian bungalows, and Campbell Parade’s beachfront shopping strip offers a diverse mix of chic, glass-fronted restaurants, trendy fashion boutiques and cosy cafés interspersed with a few of the original façades.
Down on the beach, Bondi’s grand Pavilion watches over the thousands of beachgoers and high up on the headland, the refurbished Icebergs offers a spectacular vantage point from which to enjoy a drink with friends.
Sydney’s A-list are no less enamoured of Bondi than the rest of us and can be seen enjoying the casual atmosphere in cafe's or Ravesi’s on a balmy summer evening, or with their pooches on the scenic coastal walk between Bondi and Bronte beaches.
Residents are blessed with an enviable beach address only 7 km from the CBD and a bus/rail interchange just over the hill in Bondi Junction which also is home to Westfield shopping centre and the Oxford Street Mall. Several public schools and some of Sydney’s best private schools are close by, making Bondi as popular with families as it is with those attracted to the vibrant beach lifestyle.
