Choosing a place to visit is never difficult but to choose the best place to visit from a bunch; is a difficult job. So to avoid the difficult stuff for you, I’ll take up this job and tell you the best place to visit. If you are an Australian resident or are visiting the kangaroo country you should visit Bondi Beach in New South Wales. It is about 4 miles east of Sydney CBD (Central Business District).
Bondi Beach is about a kilometer (approx. 0.6 miles) long and attracts more than 40,000 visitors on a typical summer weekend. It was added to the Australian National Heritage list in 2008. There is an underwater shark net after locals confirmed the sightings of pods of whales and dolphins during the months of migration
Another reason for loving this place is that when you surf on the clear waters fairy penguins are seen amongst surfers and sometimes also seen swimming close to the shore.
Various events such as the annual Miss Bondi beauty pageant have made it a popular destination among travelers. Skateboarders can participate in the Vans Bowl-A-Rama skateboarding competition which is held at the skate bowl in February every year.
Bondi Beach has also secured a place in the Guinness World Records in 2007 for hosting the largest swimsuit photoshoot with 1,010 women wearing bikinis taking part.
Surf Life Saving Australia, an organization that works towards the safety of surfers, has given different hazard ratings to Bondi Beach in 2004. The rating system is 1 for the least and 10 for the most hazardous. The northern end has been rated a gentle 4 while the southern side is rated 7 due to the famous rip current, Backpackers’ Express due to its proximity to the bus stop and the reluctance of visitors to walk the length of the beach to safer swimming. The south end of the beach is generally reserved for surfboard riding. Yellow and red flags define safe swimming areas and visitors are advised to swim between them. The area between these flags is patrolled by lifesavers.
As a tourist, there are various things you can do here. Sunbathe, surf, swim, visit a museum, watch a movie, collect souvenirs, eat at a local restaurant, etc.
Eating at a local restaurant can gain you access to free wi-fi and you can save some dollars. Free copies of the brief dining out guide are published by the Waverly Council at the Pavilion shop.
You can also visit the nearest museums to Bondi Beach. The Museum of Sydney commonly known as Moz is right at a 380/333 bus stop in Phillip Street just up the hill from Circular Quay. Slightly down the Hill and towards the Opera House is the Justice and Police Museum. Lastly, there is a Jewish Museum in Darlinghurst. Get off the bus just before Taylor Square, and it’s on a corner, right around the other side of the Supreme Court buildings.
One thing I missed to mention before is that Bondi Beach is in the shopping district. The major shopping center for Bondi Beach is in Hall Street. All the necessary shops are there, including a couple of bargain stores, two bookshops, two newsagents, and two hardware shops. Bondi Junction is the regional shopping center for the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. All the larger retail stores are there.
Enjoying the beach and the nearby vicinity you are ought to drain out. But if you can, stay awake till dawn because that is the one thing you will love Bondi Beach for and cherish the moment for your entire life.
I won’t expect to get up early after a hard night of partying. But if you get an opportunity, visit the beach to experience an altogether different Bondi. They run, jog and exercise before going to work; truly showing the dominance of the locals on the beach.
All the above will be useless if you don’t know how to reach there. You can board a bus from Circular Quay at the foot of Sydney CBD. Buses run to the beach at 10-minute intervals all day from Bondi Junction. Services are less frequent after about 7:30 pm at night, with buses every 15 minutes until midnight and, as your last resort, a bus runs every hour all night. On Friday and Saturday nights, there are buses every half hour all night. The 389 bus also starts from Circular Quay at the same bus stop and reaches North Bondi via the back streets of Paddington. It does not go along the waterfront at Bondi Beach; instead, it goes along Glenayr Avenue, about two blocks back from the beach.
You can also take the train from any Sydney train station to connect to trains going to Bondi Junction. The train stations in order are Central, Town Hall, Martin Place, Kings Cross, Edgecliff, and Bondi Junction. The train ride takes 11 minutes from Town Hall to Bondi Junction. Then change into a 380, 381, 382, or 333 bus route for a 15-minute ride to the beach, and voila, you’ve reached your destination!