Sol Journey: Bondi Beach

You may be put off visiting Bondi because of it being 'full of tourists' but there's a reason it has a lot of visitors. It is a beautiful area and a trip to Sydney will feel incomplete without a paddle in the famous waves.

If you are travelling by car there are several routes to get to Bondi Beach but if it's your first time then make sure you approach it from Bondi Road to get the biggest impact. If you are travelling by bus from Bondi Junction then you'll probably take this route. Sit on the right hand side of the bus for the best view. As you travel down the hill and turn the bend get ready for the stunning view. You can see immediately why it is a surfers paradise, but if not, then you will soon hear it as sounds of surf crashing on to the beach soon draws you in.

All thoughts of it being a tourist trap are gone. The sandy beach stretches on and on. There is a wide grass area running the length of the beach which makes a pleasant divide between the beach, the road and the shops. It has picnic tables scattered around and decorated concrete benches. The Parade is full of tempting cafes, restaurant and ice-cream parlours. The beach wall is brightly decorated with cool graffiti. There are showers and toilets along the parade, a Pavilion and a Surf Club. There's an open air pool and a kids paddling pool. The beach is an alcohol free zone which adds to the family friendly feel of it. There's even an outdoor gym. What's not to like?

We have now visited in Winter, Spring and Summer. Below is the account of our first visit and further below photos of subsequent visits. Bondi has good facilities. You can learn to surf and it hosts various festivals. Find out more at the dedicated Bondibeach website.

We first went on a Winters morning. At the beginning of the beach there was a surf competition. You couldn't miss the surfers area. Identified by a collection of marquees and a flat wall of surf boards, a PA system and half dressed surfers hanging out. Their chilled out vibe was contagious. It felt like you owed it to the spirit of the beach to relax and go with the flow.

That's exactly what we did. Off came our shoes and jackets, and we went down to the sea. My son was the first to paddle, then wanted to go in more so took off his shorts and T-shirt. My daughter didn't want to paddle but wanted to copy her brother so took off her leggins and ventured to the waters edge. Soon my son was jumping over the broken waves and shrieking with laughter. My daughter got a bit more adventurous and then too adventurous. She was running away from a wave and her feet couldn't carry her fast enough. She went face down and the little wave swept over her. Much to the delight of the watching Japanese tourists, who made her a part of their souvenir photos! Her wet clothes joined the pile of our shoes and on went my son's Tshirt as a dress for her.

There was time for a bit of sandcastle building before we dried off. Too early for lunch we went in search of a snack and stopped at the New Zealand Natural cafe for a toastie and milkshake. It took several minutes to decide on which flavour milkshake as it was made with any choice of ice-cream from the 3 counters. The restaurants around the Pavilion are also a popular choice After our snack we walked back up the beach and checked out the skate park. Beside the big kids on their skateboards was a second lower skate park where smaller kids were riding their scooters up and down.

We didn't get as far as the beach pool on that first visit but have since walked past and will eventually get to try it out. Check out Icebergs Club for more info on the pool and restaurant.

See also The Festival of Winds held on Bondi Beach in September