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What
is the average visitor likely to do when he lands in Sydney and
decides to see the ‘Real Australia’?
Well, there are all the usual things of course.
When he wants to see the wildlife, he goes to the park and plays
with the kangaroos and koalas. Should he decide to see the country
itself, he can take the Ghan train right across the Great
Australian Centre, then hop on a boat to go dive at the Great Barrier
Reef. Or, if he feels like seeing some of the sights, he can go
gawk at the Sydney Harbour bridge or the opera house and soak up
the decadence of the city clubs.
And when he wants to see how the Aussies really live? Why, he goes
to the beach of course.
Life on the beach
There are, of course, plenty of other places where
he can go. If its high culture he wants, then it’s off to the museums
and the galleries, not to mention the opera house. If its sports
he’s after, then he can drop by any stadium or playing field, where
on any given day, there will probably be a loud, boisterous crowd
cheering on their
favourites.
And if he wants to eat while enjoying lively conversation and good
company, he can wheedle an invitation to the famous Australian backyard
barbecue. But to see the place where Aussies spent the most time,
a visitor really needs to go is the beach.
Australia’s golden sands is the second home of many of the locals
during the odd hours between school or work and bedtime; on the
weekends, if you wait long enough, you’d probably see everyone in
the city at least once. Most people come for the surfing, swimming,
sunning or just generally for having a good time.
When it comes to picking out a
favourite
patch of sand, a visitor is really spoilt for choice, as there are
over twenty beaches in the Sydney area. For most people however,
there is no better or more famous beach than Bondi beach. Bondi
has its own energy and atmosphere, with its own particular crowd
of beautiful people and beach bums. The restaurant and café area
is separated from the beach by a road, but its still a nice place
to go for people watching, particularly on summer weekend evenings
when the local car enthusiasts and rich kids cruise by.
Plenty of festivals take place on or near Bondi,
making it even more of a cultural draw than the snobs would like
to admit. Most of the events take place around the Pavilion Community
Centre, which has a theatre and exhibition gallery, an outdoor amphitheatre,
showers & changing rooms, food outlets & a souvenir shop to keep
the visitor busy. On the weekends, the markets at the northern end
of the beach are worth an hour or two. Popular with both locals
and visitors, the markets are eclectic in nature, with everything
from clothing to books and
jewellery
for sale.
Some Other Beaches in the Sydney Area
 Visitors
more interested in swimming than people-watching can make their
way from Bondi beach to Bronte Beach by following the water to the
right. The scenic cliff top trail takes you to gorgeous little
Tamarama Beach, otherwise known as "Glamourama" for
its trendy sun-worshippers. Further along is Bronte, which
has better and more secluded swimming than Bondi, but unfortunately,
also has more dangerous rip tides.
On the north shore of
the harbour is Manly Beach, second runner up for the
‘Most Famous Sydney Beach’ title. The best way to get to this beach
is to take the ferry from Circular Quay. Unfortunately, a number
of visitors confuse Manly with the small beach near the ferry station,
but the more persistent beach hunter is rewarded with a long curve
of golden sand edged with Norfolk Island pines. A little way down
the beachfront is Shelly Beach, which is a nice spot
for snorkelling and swimming.
For the more adventurous, or those interested in getting an all-over
tan, there’s always the famous nudist beach Lady Jane
Bay near Watson’s Bay, or the less well-known Cobbler’s Beach near
Bradley’s Head in the Mosman suburb. Lady Jane Bay has a spectacular
view of the downtown Sydney skyline to complement the human scenery.
If you’re interested in visiting, then be prepared for the largely
male crowd — Lady Jane is one of the two most popular gay nude beaches
in the Sydney area. There’s also the occasional boatload of peeping
toms, and the odd cruise ship of shocked vacationers. Still, there
are plenty of other, more secluded beaches to try if an exhibitionist
streak isn’t a personal trait.
A day at the beach in Australia is definitely easy on the nerves
(and the eyes), but it hardly squares with the traditional image
of Australians as tough, rangy bushwalkers, complete with Akubra
hats and wickedly big hunting knives, eager for some crocodile wrestling.
Actually, on a continent as arid and hostile as Australia, its not
surprising that more than 85% of the population have turned their
backs on the Outback, with most preferring to live within an
hour's drive of the coast. Many families going on holiday would
far prefer to stay near a beach and many Aussies see their retirement
in terms of a retreat to some quiet beach with lots of sunshine.
The popular beach lifestyle is pretty inevitable when you consider
that New South Wales’ coastline alone stretches some 36,000 km and
that most of the cities are located around excellent harbours and
beaches. The beach lifestyle has become so entrenched that Australian
kids are said to know how to swim before they can walk.
And what is there to do down at the beach? There are the usual activities:
beach volleyball, hanging out with friends, swimming, and of course
getting a suntan. There is also surfing, quite possibly Australia’s
most popular outdoor sport. The country has some of the best surfers
in the world, regularly going head to head with the famed Hawaiians
in the international surfing competitions, and most beaches offers
plenty of opportunity for the novice surfer to get on a surfboard
and ride the waves. It also provides the locals with some entertainment.
For the less adventurous, there are always plenty of expert surfers
around to watch and the competitions held around the country are
often fascinating exhibitions.
About Surfing, Dangerous
Marine Life and Suntan
Of
course, where there are surfers and swimmers, there are lifeguards
and Australia’s lifeguards are often reckoned as the best
in the world. This is hardly surprising, as Australia's beaches
come complete with pounding, ever-changing surf conditions and dangerous
marine life. Australia created the world’s first surf lifesaving
clubs and every summer, thousands of volunteers patrol the beaches
and provide first aid when needed. Most beaches also have permanent
lifeguards and part of their duties is to check the surf conditions
and mark safe places to swim with red and yellow flags. All swimmers
must stay between these flags and any newcomer to the beach is strongly
urged to check the surf conditions with the lifeguard before
venturing in the water, especially since the lifeguards are entitled
to mete out fines to those silly enough to endanger themselves or
others.
The second threat to a good day at the beach is the wildlife (natural
perils of northern queensland). Most visitors ask about the
sharks, which do make occasional appearances far from shore,
but rarely venture any closer. Most reported sightings turn out
to be of migrating whales. Some beaches have permanent shark nets,
but most rely on portable nets that are periodically moved from
beach to beach. In any case, shark attacks are fairly rare occurrences.
A more common problem
off Australian beaches are the jellyfish, called "stingers"
in Australia, and "Portuguese-Man-o'-War" everywhere else. These
creatures only become hazards during certain seasons, when the strong
breezes coming off the ocean blows them to shore. Often, you can
find their bodies washed up on the beach and during this time, swimmers
are most likely to be concerned. The jellyfish’s sting is quite
potent, with most people suffering mild to severe pain, nausea and
swelling. More than a few people have severe reactions to the sting.
The lifeguards can offer immediate medical attention but the best
way to deal with the stingers is not to get into the water with
them, which is another reason to check surf conditions first with
the lifeguards.
And last, but definitely not least: what to wear? Well, if you’re
headed to Lady Jane Bay, you don't wear much of anything, but for
other beaches, the question of bikinis and shorts can be weighty
one. Unsurprisingly, Australia offers excellent swimwear,
and the wide variety of choice means that everyone will find something
to suit his or her body type. Some of the more popular brands include
Zimmermann, Jets, Jaclin Chouchana, Lisa Ho, C Design and Tigerlily,
Seafolly, Sunseeker, Azzollini and Bonds Swim.
Whatever is worn however,
its most essential accessory is the right attitude: wear
it, forget about it and go out and have fun. Oh, but don’t forget
the sun block. Australian sun can be mighty fierce and the country’s
got the world’s highest statistics for skin cancer, so slap on some
lotion, grab the sunglasses and head for the beach to join in the
Aussie lifestyle.
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