We'll Surf Like They Do in the U.S.A.

For a city that's famous for its beaches, Sydney doesn't actually have a lot of them. Most of the coastline is low cliffs:


The only beaches are in low-lying areas between the headlands, and most of them are pretty compressed. This, in its entirety, is the famous Bondi Beach (and by the way, it's pronounced bon-dye, not bon-dee):



We were there on a cool, rainy Tuesday, so there weren't many people around, but you can see why Bondi has a reputation for being crowded: it just isn't very big, especially given that it's one of the most accessible beaches to Sydney proper (it's about a 25-minute bus ride from downtown).

The famous Bondi Beach lifeguards were huddling inside for warmth, so I'm sorry to say I couldn't get any hot swimsuit shots:



But there were quite a few surfers around:


A beautiful trail leads south from Bondi along the cliffs to the next beach, called Bronte Beach. If you're ever in Sydney this is a great walk. It only takes about 15 minutes and then at Bronte (which is smaller even than Bondi) there are a couple of restaurants and another bus line taking you back to the city.


More on Sydney's beaches in the next posting.