Surfers, Swimmers, Super Beautiful: They all gather in Sydney on Australia’s most famous beach. But what is the popularity of Bondi Beach? Our author took a look around.
The most famous beach in Australia is rather shunned by surfers from Sydney. “The locals do not necessarily come here,” says Bruce Hopkins. “The waves are not good to ride, they break fast.” Nevertheless, Bondi Beach is a myth, its appeal extends well beyond the country’s borders. And Hopkins has done his part in legend building.
As Head Life Guard, Bruce “Hoppo” Hopkins is the face of the successful Australian television series “Bondi Rescue.” 13 squadrons now show the work of the lifeguards.
Hopkins – 50 years old, slim, three days beard – has been doing the job for 27 years. His age is not visible to him. “I still enjoy that,” he says of his work in his Bondi Pavilion office. “It’s good to be out here and help people.”
Bondi Beach is not just about surfing
In fact, there is much to do. On busy days, 30,000 to 40,000 visitors come to the beach on the Pacific Ocean on Australia’s southeast coast. Bondi Beach is a landmark, official national heritage of Australia , symbol of the country’s identity, an international brand.
Tourists from all over the world visit the sea or at least pose for a photo on the promenade. Out-of-towners lay their mostly bleached bodies short or too long in the sun. Some register for a crash course at the surf school at the north end of the beach, to stand on the board once, for two or three seconds.
Many are not. At Bondi Beach, you get the impression that surfing is not what you’re looking for in the first place. Bondi is also not a classic beach, there are dangerous currents in the sea. Apparently it’s about something else.
Early in the morning on the beach , the water is still quiet under a misty sky, behind the clouds, the sun is already waiting. Several dozen joggers trudge through the sand, the beach up and down, their stage is a good one kilometer. The first surfboards are in the water, towels are laid out, clothes are laid, children are dribbling.
Young women and men do their exercises on public fitness equipment , and, unless a form prohibits it, you feel encouraged to do a few pull-ups as well, because it does not seem silly, but perfectly natural.
In Bondi, all people look good
Is Bondi Beach more about body worship than surfer worship, and both are somehow related? This impression is evident in the suburbs Bondi also in the streets around the beach.
Fit men run barefoot with surfboard under his arm through the city, the jumpsuit rolled down to below the belly button. Skateboarders with well-trained calves roll through the streets. Men are obviously wearing long trousers only in professions where this is absolutely necessary.
Women in hot pants seem to want to show that many hours of work-out are stuck in their thighs. Almost all people look good. You could take them at any time for an Instagram photo that would be suitable for commercial use for virtually any consumer product that promises fitness, happiness and true life.
People in Bondi move between chic, casual brunch shops and bars, high-priced hair salons, surf shops and designer fashion stores – often accompanied by their “designer dogs”, a local mockingly notes.
Bakeries raise bread making to artisans (“artisan sourdough bakers”), and snacks are, of course, vegan (“plant based eatery”). Trying to order a coke in a café – although the sugar-free version – fails. There are only homemade sodas, explains the waitress with a pitying look. “Sorry.”
Bodybuilding, fitness and a bit of Botox
Anyone who thinks as a visitor to Bondi that at some point it is too much of the cliché, learns quickly. For example, a burly guy at the next table tells his companion that he would like to open his own gym. There are many models in town right now.
The writer Leif Randt wrote in a story for the “time” on the Bondi Beach: “In the beginning, people design places, then people designate places.” He felt that in Bondi also had competitive forces, competition. Randt describes the beach as a kind of club whose bouncer sits in people’s minds. The less sporty bathers are not denied access, but: “Everyone decides for himself whether he wants to fall in a place out of the norm or not.”
Lifeguard Bruce Hopkins has known Bondi since childhood. 20 years ago, many more locals would have lived in the area, he says. Many young people would come to work for two or three years. If you have a family, move to somewhere else today. “It has become much more expensive to live here.” Hopkins estimates a two-bedroom apartment at between $ 800 and $ 1,000, or $ 500 to $ 600 per week.
Bruce Hopkins, who keeps his eyes on people professionally, knows about the changes in social structure. More people than before did bodybuilding and fitness, “a little Botox here and there” is also in the game.
“Whatever you do, you will be seen. It’s become an area that’s all about image, “Hopkins notes, but with the equanimity of a surfer who realizes that he does not catch a wave and simply waits for the next one. The work of the lifeguards has also changed.
“When I started, all we had was boards and whistles,” says Hopkins, who’s traveling around the world for workshops. “At that time we had no jet skis.” The training and the training had become more professional. In the past, life-savers responded especially when there were emergencies, nowadays people are focusing on prevention, clarifying, and intervening at an early stage.
Tourists celebrate Christmas on the beach
At least six lifeguards are on duty at Bondi Beach every day, on busy days it’s even more. The most eventful day Hopkins remembers gave his crew around 230 missions.
In the rarest cases it is about drowning. Sunburns or injuries caused by surfboards are much more common. “Many tourists are not used to the heat,” says Hopkins. On the other hand, the strict prohibition of alcohol has a positive effect.
At noon on the beach, the sporting activities have visibly slowed down, even if now more noise than in the morning. They are all still there or back: surfers, jumpers, couples, families, day trippers, tourists. The sun is shining, the sand is dazzling. Why is this beach so famous?
Already in the 19th century, the inhabitants of Sydney came here. The Bondi Life Saving Club was founded in 1906, the first lifeguard club in Australia. England’s queen, who is also the head of state of Australia, visited the beach in 1954.
At the 2000 Olympics, the beach volleyball tournaments were held at Bondi Beach. Over the decades, more and more tourists came. They especially like to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve, in the middle of summer.
Prince Harry and Meghan barefoot in the sand
It was not until October 2018 that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan squatted barefoot in the sand and talked to spectators and scanned by photographers – talking to some surfers who care about people with mental health problems. Bondi Beach was in the news again. The prince merely picked up a board and rubbed it with wax, more of a symbolic act – for he did not rush into the waves.
Hopkins has a simple explanation for the popularity of the beach: Bondi Beach is not far from the city and the airport, perfect for travelers. “If they come to Australia , they’ll come to Bondi,” says Hopkins. It is possible that the myth Bondi eventually became independent and today constantly reproduced by a never-ending stream of selfies.
A popular motif is, for example, the seawater pool of the “Bondi Icebergs Club” at the southern end of the beach, lapped by the rough waves of the ocean. The club goes back to a few die-hard lifeguards who wanted to train their fitness in the cold season. That was in 1929.
These days, the atmosphere in the restaurant of the “Icebergs”, upscale ambience, rather homey. It’s jazz, and every now and then, celebrities should be allowed to watch. The view falls through the window front to the beach. In the dark, there are still a few dozen surfers on the water. The silhouettes disappear slowly, the curtain falls. Tomorrow the next performance begins.
Tips and information for Australia
Arrival and formalities: To Sydney via Dubai with Emirates or via Singapore with Singapore Airlines . Germans must apply for entry – the free eVisitor visa is available as well as the electronic Travel Authority ETA, which is subject to a fee.
Destination: Bondi Beach is located east of downtown Sydney on the Pacific Ocean . The beach in the same district is considered the most visited attraction in the city. There is a tram connection from the city.
Accommodation: In Bondi Beach at about the “Adina Apartment Hotel” ( adinahotels.com ), accommodation for two people depending on the season from around 100 euros; popular with backpackers: the “Bondi Beachouse YHA Hostel”, from around 20 euros per person ( yha.com.au ).
Information: www.sydney.com