Sydney/Bondi Beach
From Wikitravel
Bondi Beach is a world famous suburb and beachside locality of Sydney, capital of the Australian state of New South Wales.
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Understand
The closest and arguably the most accessible ocean beach to the centre of Sydney, Bondi has become synonymous with Sydney's beach lifestyle - busloads of Japanese tourists, for example, frequently travel to Bondi direct from the airport, just so they can feel the warm yellow sand between their toes.
Bondi has become a favourite of the "barmy army" of British tourists, who annually gather on its sands for a Southern Hemisphere Christmas in the sun....
Bondi Beach has a vaguely alternative feel, despite the obvious commercialism present, and attracts a large number of "individuals": watch out, for example, for the guy who will strip off near the shops, to walk stark naked through the traffic on Campbell Parade, before going down to the beach....
Get in
By bus
Buses run to Bondi Beach in approximately 10 minute intervals from Bondi Junction and the City. Buses from the City to Bondi Beach all run from Circular Quay and take approximately 45 minutes (more in heavy traffic) to make the journey. The city terminus is in Alfred Street, opposite Wharf 2. Buses may be numbered 380, 382 or L82 with the destinations showing North Bondi, Dover Heights, Watsons Bay or Bondi Beach. Collectively, these is called the "380 bus" - all buses continue to Bondi Beach. The bus route passes along Elizabeth Street next to Hyde Park, turning at Liverpool street up to Taylor Square, thereafter to Paddington and Bondi Junction via Oxford Street.
By train
From central Sydney, take the Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line trains from Central, Town Hall or Martin Place stations to Bondi Junction (10 mins). From there, a bus (lines 380, 381, 382, L82, 15 mins), taxi or reasonable walk will get you to Bondi Beach (2 km downhill). The train ride takes 10 minutes from Town Hall to Bondi Junction.
See
- Bondi Beach, of course....
Do
- the Festival of the Winds [1] (http://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/info/pavilion/fotw/) - an annual kite-flying Festival - next date: Sunday 11 September 2005
- Sculpture by the Sea [2] (http://www.sculpturebythesea.com/) - an annual outdoor display of sculpture (over 100 separate works) distributed along the Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk (begins at the bottom of Notts Avenue, off Campbell Parade) - next dates: 3-20 November 2005 (9th year). Free!
Eat
- Moorish Restaurant and Bar, 120 Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi, tel 02 9300 9511 - great views and a beachside setting - sit outside on the balcony on warm evenings...
- Hugos, 70 Campbell Parade, tel 02 9300 0900 - stylish dining, Australian cuisine, open 7 days for dinner, breakfast and lunch on weekends only
- Bondi Trattoria Café Restaurant, 34b Campbell Parade, tel 02 9365 4303
Sleep
Budget
- Indy's Backpackers [3] (http://www.indysbackpackers.com.au/), 35a Hall Street and Campbell Parade, tel 02 9365 4900, fax 02 9365 4994 - two different locations, right in the heart of Bondi's cafe scene
Drink
The two biggest bars in Bondi are the Bondi Road Hotel and Bondi Beach Hotel. Both are excellent places to catch the finals in a cricket match or have a few drinks with your mates.
Buy
Markets
- Bondi Beach Markets, every Sunday 9am-3pm in the grounds of Bondi Beach Public School, (Campbell Parade, one block north of the main shopping centre) -
External links
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