Well we found out where the summer went. She decided to just have a little rest and now she’s come out to play – in Autumn!
I don’t recall such warm Sydney Easter weather. The last week has been glorious warm days – up to 29 degrees.
So warm in fact, that it was incredibly hot at the beach and swimming was very pleasant. Admittedly the ocean starts warming up around this time of the year.
Am getting ready for the chilly weather to hit soon.
Categories: Uncategorized
| 
No comments
Well with Summer officially over in about two weeks, if you live in Sydney, you might well be wondering “but did it even start?”
According to the stats, it’s been the coldest summer since 1965, the coldest December in 51 years and the coldest and wettest January in 11 years.
Lots has been written about and spoken about the weather here in Oz of late.
For example, check out these links to the ABC and the Wentworth Courier websites.
Queenslanders had to endure bad floods (again) and Sydney has had the worst summer that anyone here can remember – well around my vintage anyway.
Rain, rain and rain, cold temparutes and almost every day has been like four seasons in one day. Not the stock standard summers us Sydneysiders are used to.
But the weather is something you can’t change – you just have to deal with it.
Apparently it’s all due to El Nino and climate change.
Despite mother nature trying to mess with our heads, there have been some glorious days at Bondi Beach over the last few weeks – it’s just that there has been way too much grey sky in between.
Categories: Climate
| 
Tags: Bondi, climate, rain, summer, weather
| No comments
When it comes to massive crowds on Bondi Beach….New Year’s Day is always a biggie, and yesterday was no exception!
December 2011 was such an abysmal month of “summer” weather, so the blue skies and hot weather attracted a fair few people to the sand yesterday.
I also decided to head down with the family to meet some friends and celebrate the first day of 2012 on Bondi Beach.
Bondi Beach looking towards the north end, 1st January 2012
As expected, the beach was packed. What I noticed most was how many different accents and tourists were around us. It seemed like almost everyone I heard talking, spoke in a foreign accent. I guess this is not really surprising since this time of year is, after all, the peak tourist season.
Towards the late afternoon early evening, a guy holding a megaphone (a surf lifesaver I think), was being followed near the shore by a camera crew. Then we hear on the megaphone in a very strong Australian accent , something along the lines of….”there are about 9 rips in the water today and soon, at 7 o’clock, there will no longer be any lifesavers patrolling the beach”.
I’m not sure if this announcement was an intentional bit of heightened drama for the camera crew that were accompanying the lifesaver on the megaphone or whether the announcement was to caution the many tourists and visitors to the beach who may be unfamiliar with rips and with the fact that the beach isn’t patrolled by lifesavers 24-7. The funny thing is, that if the announcement was a serious cautionary message, it is quite possible that many of the people it needed to reach most may not have been able to understand it, since the megaphone was not all that clear and the lifesaver delivering the message had such a strong Australian accent, it must have been difficult for non-Australians to make out every word that he said.
Well here’s hoping that somehow, the message got through and the first day of the year ended happily for all those on Bondi Beach yesterday.
Happy New Year !!
Categories: Bondi, Locality, Swimming
| Tags: Bondi Beach, new year
| No comments
Two bikini gals walking up O'Brien St, just past intersection with Glenayr Ave
Well summer is slowly settling in (very slowly this year) and the body parading in Bondi will soon be at its peak. OK, so in a beach suburb it is normal to wear and to be around people wearing very light and minimal clothing such as shorts with bikini tops (for women) and just shorts (for men). This is quite acceptable in a beach area such as Bondi and the streets, shops and cafes are often filled with people walking around in only their togs, budgie smugglers, bikinis, bathing costumes, swimmers and whatever else we might call our beach and swimming gear.
Whenever I visit other beaches both in Australia and overseas, the same applies.
BUT, (forgetting wetsuits and rashys), I have often wondered just how far away from the beach can you get away with walking around in just a bikini? And are there certain criteria which make it OK and not OK? For example, is it acceptable for a young woman of 15 or younger to walk around in a bikini several blocks away from the beach but not a woman of say 30 or older? Or is the acceptability dependent upon how many blocks away from the beach we’re talking about?
Just to be clear, I’m not referring to a woman who is wearing a bikini top with a towel wrapped around the waist (as I often tend to head home in!). I’m talking about wearing just a bikini and nothing else.
I don’t recall ever seeing someone walking around Bondi Junction in only a bikini so I’m assuming that somehow there is an understood rule that the Junction is too far for bikini-wearing to be acceptable. And fair enough too, since it is a good 20 minutes walk at least to the Junction from the beach. So if we’re talking distance, does anyone have any ideas what the general rule is on this?
I’m really curious for your thoughts on bikini wearing beyond the beach…how far is OK and far is not OK? and how is the acceptability factor measured?
Categories: Bikinis, Bondi, Social Norms
| Tags: bathing costumes, bikini, Bondi
| No comments
Tibetan monk working on the sand mandala, October 2011
I heard that the Gyuto Monks of Tibet were visiting Bondi again this year, for a week or so in spring. I really wanted to attend one of their meditations and see the sand mandala they were making . Given my work schedule of late, finding the time was not easy, but earlier this month I finally found the opportunity to head down to Bondi Beach Public School to see the Gyuto monks before their visit to Bondi ended.
I was so glad that I found some time to get there…
The sand mandala was simply awesome. I’m sure there is a lot going on in the art of the mandala that I have no knowledge of (I.E. the symbolism and visual representations etc), but you can’t help being in awe of the amazing fine detail in the work, the glorious colours and the incredible patience that the monks demonstrate as they contribute to this work-in-progress.
It was easy to spend a long time looking at the sand mandala and watching the monks create it; this is a meditation in itself. But once the mandala is completed, it is dismantled – a reminder of the impermanence of life.
Fine detail seen in the sand mandala - using the zoom
I was able to stay for only some of the meditation, since my hectic schedule did not allow me to stay longer. But even so, the benefit of stopping and listening and focusing for that short while was big, for me. Hopefully the monks will be back again next year and I’ll be making sure that my schedule allows me to spend more time in their presence in 2012 than I did this year.
Categories: Bondi, Spirituality & Religion
| Tags: buddhism, mandala, meditation, monks
| 2 comments
Today I couldn’t resist going for a walk to the beach on such a beautiful morning. When I got down to the promenade, the water was completely flat and still. There was a lovely sense of peace at the beach.
Peaceful Bondi, August 2011
When I got to the North Bondi end, I spotted a few chookies doing a bit of training!
Roosters training at Nth Bondi, Aug 2011
Had to to tear myself away and head to work, but what a great way to start the day!
Categories: Bondi
| Tags: Bondi Beach, Sydney Roosters
| 2 comments
Yesterday I did the Bondi to Tamarama cliff walk. Sometimes when I do this walk, I think about the history of this area and what has been lost and what has been recorded or retained.
It was 120 years ago today that the original Bondi Aquarium was destroyed by a fire.
The Bondi Aquarium was a seaside attraction that opened in 1887 in the area described as Fletcher’s Glen. This area is what we now know as Tamarama. When the Bondi Aquarium opened, it attracted so many visitors that the tram line was extended to the end of Fletcher street to cope with the crowds.
The Aquarium provided entertainment such as merry-go-rounds, a Punch and Judy show, a shooting gallery, bowling, roller skating and tanks filled with various marine life including seals and a penguin. Dancing, fireworks and concerts were also regularly staged there.
On the 11th of July 1891, the Aquarium was destroyed by a fire, but only weeks later, it was re-built and continued to entertain Sydneysiders.
Here is a photo of the re-built aquarium. Photography by Henry King. Tyrrell Collection, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.
The Bondi Aquarium shortly after it was re-built, circa 1891
In 1906 William Anderson bought the Bondi Aquarium and transformed this seaside attraction into Wonderland City, which, at the time, was apparently the largest open-air amusement park in the Southern Hemisphere. With a rollercoaster, an airship and thousands of coloured lights decorating the area, it must have been a pretty awesome attraction for its day. We’re talking 1906 remember!
But the popularity of Wonderland City apparently didn’t last for long. Residents objected to animal cruelty and there was growing concern that the airship was becoming a safety risk. There was also ongoing conflict between local swimmers and William Anderson regarding Anderson restricting access to the beach. The publicity of these incidents fuelled a drop in visitor attendance and in 1911, Wonderland City closed.
You can read more about Wonderland City here.
The NSW Government bought the area in 1920 and established Tamarama Park. The street in Tamarama, Wonderland Avenue, was obviously named after Wonderland City.
Here are “then and now” images showing a similar perspective of the site that Wonderland City occupied. The historical image was photographed by Henry King. Tyrrell Collection, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. You can faintly see the top of the dome of the Aquarium in the top left hand corner of the picture below.
Wonderland City, Tamarama. circa 1907.
Tamarama Beach as seen from Wolaroi Crescent, July 2011.
I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on these seaside attractions that featured in the Bondi area over 100 years ago. Maybe you had a family member that had passed on their memories or stories about attending the Bondi Aquarium or Wonderland City? If so, please do share with us here.
Categories: Amusement Parks, Bondi, Development, History
| Tags: aquarium, entertainment, rollercoaster, Tamarama
| No comments
On one of my recent Bondi walks, I decided to check out the new development between Gould St and Campbell Parade where the old bottle shop used to be.
Gould Street, showing the street level of The Beach House apartments
There is this kind of arcade now between Gould and Campbell, which also houses the entrance to the key aspect of this development, an apartment complex known as The Beach House.
View of the walk-through looking towards Campbell Parade from Gould St, June 2011
I have to confess that as much as I’d like the brakes to be put on all the development here in Bondi, from an objective point of view, the outcome of this particular development isn’t too bad. The walk-through is a bit dark and lifeless, but the upside of the destruction of the old “Bondi Tram” part of the Bondi Hotel, means that you can now see the Bondi Hotel’s side view which was previously obstructed by the adjoining part of the hotel. This new Beach House development has allowed that side view of the building to be visible and stand-alone. You can therefore appreciate the architecture of the southern side view of the Bondi Hotel more fully now. But unfortunately, I still think aesthetically, the look of the building from Curlewis Street is affected by this new development. I’d like to hear your comments on this.
I don’t recall seeing the Bondi Hotel like this before. If anyone knows, I’d be interested to know when this side aspect of the Bondi Hotel was first obstructed by the adjoining extension of the Hotel, i.e. in what year?
There are some pics I snapped of this development exactly one year ago that I posted on the page in this blog More Development Shvelopment. You can see the paint-job done on the Hotel. I think that is an improvement.
The new walk-through from Campbell Parade to Gould Street, June 2011
The Bondi Hotel, June 2011
The Bondi Hotel as seen from Curlewis St, June 2011
Categories: Bondi, Development
| Tags: Bondi, bondi architecture, Bondi Hotel, The Beach House
| 2 comments
Inspiration to blog hasn’t been forthcoming of late. Winter chills and rainy days don’t generally inspire me much.
Over the last few months I snapped some pics of the development of the old police station in Wairoa Avenue. Here’s one of the images showing the development of the site.
Once the Bondi Police Station, now modern apartments.
A block of 1920s-30s art deco units beside the old Bondi police station is also now up for sale.
Another art deco block in Bondi to bite the dust?
I wonder what’s to become of this block? How many new apartments will it be transformed into? or maybe it will become another Bondi McMansion?
Categories: Bondi, Development
| Tags: bondi police station
| No comments
The days are noticeably getting shorter and cooler. Summertime is now over. Autumn is here and as the onslaught of tourists in Bondi is beginning to fade, so too are many iconic Bondi landmarks and institutions.
Goodbye Hakoah Club, The Boheme is movin' in 17/4/11
Many visible changes have been happening in Bondi of late, and this month sees the beginning of the end of the low-end village-like atmosphere of Hall Street and Gould Street. There’s the destruction of the Bondi Hotel bottlo and the erection of new shops and arcade in its place. And of course the rather huge development of the Hakoah Club site and its adjoining properties. These are clearly movements away from the once un-selfconscious character of old Bondi towards the now well and truly entrenched commercial, trendy, new Bondi. I wonder how many more Oportos or Nandos or McDonalds or Hungry Jacks will pop up in the months ahead? How many more parking meters and tourist dollars can we squeeze into Bondi until we can’t recognise it anymore?
Categories: Commercialisation, Development, Tourism, Uncategorized
| Tags: Gould Street, Hakoah Club, Hall Street
| 4 comments
©2010 bondibanter.com
