Unbeknownst to me when we moved here, it’s a massive cliché for the English (and Irish) to move to Bondi when settling in Sydney, along the same sort of lines as Aussies moving to Clapham. If I had a dollar for every time an Aussie had rolled his eyes after finding out my chosen location I’d be able to afford a much better flat…but I’d still live in Bondi. Frankly it’s an awesome area, even in ‘winter’. Imagine an English seaside town but with pretty much constant sunshine, an amazing night life and some very cool inhabitants. Actually don’t imagine an English seaside town at all – it’s nothing like one.
Attractive, leafy suburban roads lead down to the centre piece i.e. the beach which is every bit as astounding in real life as you would imagine; a kilometre of golden sand looking out on the Tasman Sea with spectacular (and spectacularly expensive) apartments gazing down on it at either end. As you would imagine there is a huge surf culture here and the wet-suit clad lunatics can be seen at all times and in all conditions doing battle with some ferocious looking waves. I have to confess that I haven’t exposed my near-translucent skin to either the surf or the beach as yet but will have to endure the laughter of the locals at some point I suppose.
Luckily for me, Bondi has much to offer aside from the ubiquitous beach culture: There is a constant buzz to the area provided by the many bars and restaurants that run along the beach front. Particular favourites so far include the Bondi FM Café which actually contains the recording studio for the eponymous radio station and the Beach Road Hotel, a cavernous back-packer style bar which was open continuously for one of the recent world cup weekends. In truth I have been here for a couple of months now and I’m still discovering new venues; I really can’t imagine that I will get bored anytime soon, much less before my lease is up in November.