A blustery Bondi Beach

Sure, it was winter time in Australia while I was visiting but apparently my visit brought (or at least coincided with) the first warm, sunny day that Sydney had seen in several weeks. This meant that lots of folks were out an about, especially on the beaches. I really wanted the ferry ride through the harbour so I hit up Manly beach first, but given its slightly more popular coverage in the media (at least up here) I also felt that I should take a trip out to Bondi Beach. So after lunch I did just that.

Unfortunately, by the time I got out to Bondi the weather had turned for the worse. It was grey and overcast, with intermittent spurts of mist, drizzle and rain. It was not beach weather at all. Still, I had made the trek out there and I was not going to be denied.

One of the “must do” events at Bondi Beach is a visit to the pool at the southern end of the beach. It is justifiably famous and really quite cool. It is open to the public for a small fee but, alas, I didn’t have my suit with me. Plus it was cold and raining. Still, I did stop by to see the famed salt-water pool that sits right on the ocean.

All the photos I’d seen and reports I’d read mentioned how cool the pool was, mostly based on its location. But not a single one of them ever showed just how crazy it could be, particularly when the weather was a bit less than ideal. Well the day I was there definitely had less than ideal weather and the pool was constantly being overrun by the waves crashing against the sea wall.

Yeah, the waves were somewhat violent crashing against the wall there. I guess the folks in the water are used to it because they just kept on swimming.

There is a long walkway that connects the beaches around Bondi. I headed a bit further south along the walk just to see how folks were enjoying the afternoon. Even with the misty drizzle folks were out, doing what they could to keep dry as appropriate and to enjoy the waterfront where they could.

I enjoyed Manly better than Bondi but I cannot say that it wasn’t entirely because of the weather. The beach at Manly is longer though Bondi is deeper. I suppose they both have their appeal and either one is a great place to spend a few hours – preferably when it is warm and sunny – during a stay in Sydney.

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