Bondi Beach & Beyond Private Tour

Bondi Beach is a crescent shaped beach surrounded by art deco and modern buildings. It is the home to the world’s first surf life saving club (1907) and is a great place for catching a wave, relaxing on the white beach sand or taking a swim in ocean pools at either end of the beach. We start our visit by taking a stroll along the beach boardwalk. Bondi locals will be spotted working on their physique at an outdoor gym. In the middle of the beach is the Bondi Pavillion. The recently restored pavillion provides an open sense of space with breezy courtyards and a redesigned light filled atrium. Further along the promenade we enjoy a series of large street murals and upon reaching the end of the promenade we take the stairs to elevated lookout. From the lookout we will see sun bakers, swimmers and surfers catching waves. Just nearby is the popular Bondi Icebergs, a 50 metre salt water pool that was constructed in 1929 to assist with the fitness of local lifesavers.

We visit Bronte and Tamarama Beaches on our second beach stop. Tamarma is a small (only 80 metres long) but beautiful Beach. It has a large sandy beach area with a small park and cafe. The name Tamarama was derived from the indigenous word gamma gamma, meaning thunder. We can either take a short drive to reach this beach or walk to it from Bondi by way a coastal path that provides spectacular cliff and ocean views. The walk takes around 20 minutes. The amount of walking we do throughout the day is your call. A little or reasonable amount is no problem. Tamarama is a popular surfing and swimming beach with a large rock platform on the northern side. If the ocean swell is small swimmers often dive off the reef into the surf. After enjoying this wonderful beach which is a delight in full sun we visit another nearby picturesque beach, Bronte Beach. Bronte Beach has the bonus of a safe rock pool and an ocean swimming pool.

Watsons Bay and the Gap Watsons Bay is recognised as Australia’s oldest fishing village and still offers fish for sale at several outlets. A walk to nearby Camp Cove provides access to a small, secluded harbour beach that is popular in warmer weather. A little further on is Hornby Lighthouse which provides great harbour views of the entrance to Sydney Harbour. Access is provided by way of the South Head Heritage Trail and historical military fortifications will be observed as we walk the trail. Hornby Lighthouse was built in 1857 in response to a harbour disaster in which a boat, the Dunbar, missed the entrance to the harbour and crashed into the cliffs killing all people on board (121) except for one. The Gap, which is a short walk from Watsons Bay, is a dip in the sandstone cliffs from which a wave cut rock platform can be seen by looking down at the water. This area provides a unique introduction to Sydney Harbour and the dramatic sandstone cliffs of Sydney.

Paddington Reservoir is a relic from the past when Sydney’s water needs did not require Warragamba Dam and a desalination plant! The reservoir was constructed in 1864 and was built from bricks, ironbark columns and cast iron beams which supported segmental arches and the reservoir's roof. A second reservoir was constructed next to the first reservoir in 1876. The reservoir was decommissioned in 1899 after a larger and more elevated reservoir was built nearby at Centennial Park. After this time the reservoir had various uses, including operation as a workshop and petrol station, with a public park above it. Over time however it fell into disrepair and was in a semi-ruinous state. The roof partially collapsed and the walls were vandalised. In response the City of Sydney organised for the urban renewal of the site. The result is outstanding. The sunken garden and pond have a peaceful serene feel. The original materials have been adaptively reused and native plants introduced.

Barangaroo Reserve was constructed on flat concrete land formerly used as a terminal for shipping containers. It was designed to look like the natural headland that formerly existed before industrial use in the area. A large cove (Nawi Cove) was also created next to the reserve for the purpose of recreating the pre-1836 shoreline. Barangaroo Reserve is a hill with a large area of grass known as the Stargazer Lawn. The lawn is an area for Sydney residents to relax and enjoy the outdoors. It is surrounded by terraced native gardens that take you down to a walkway along the harbour foreshore. Underneath the hill is a space known as the Cutaway that provides an area for events and cultural exhibitions. It is a large space with its ceiling being 14 metres in height. Barangaroo Reserve is an engineering marvel with a unique hollow structure. Join us and walk along the picturesque foreshore and see what has been achieved by this ambitious urban renewal project.