Australia’s Love Affair with the Beach

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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Article Information
This article was written by AH Anuar and was first published 19 November 2004. This article is free for personal and commercial reproduction, with the following terms and conditions.