I expect that when most people think about Bondi they’re thinking of the beach area, or of the Campbell parade area. For me, “Bondi” is actually quite a large area.
Although a lot of things in this blog may be primarily concerned with the Beach area of Bondi, when I’m imagining Bondi, I‘m not just thinking about Bondi Beach. I’m referring to an area that spans beyond the beach area, and also beyond North and South Bondi.
For me, Bondi’s borders span from Dover Heights to Rose Bay to Paddington/Woollahra to Waverley to Bellevue Hill to Bronte. I know that strictly speaking this area is not exactly “Bondi” but this area is my Bondi, my stomping ground.
I’ll try and illustrate what I’m trying to say here…when I lived in Sydney’s inner west, in Newtown, for about 1 year in the early 1990s, I used to feel rather out-of sorts when I hadn’t been down to Bondi for days on end, sometimes a couple of weeks or so. I’d get a bit antsy and have to get myself over to Bondi. So I’d be driving from Newtown towards Bondi and I remember very clearly that when I reached a particular spot on the journey I would then feel like I was back in Bondi. That spot was on Birrell St heading down the hill , towards the beach, a little ways past where Waverley College stands. I’d get to that point where I could suddenly see the ocean and I’d just take in a deep breath and feel a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing I was back in Bondi.
As Dorothy said…”There’s no place like home…”
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