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Bondi is an eastern suburb located 7 km east of the Sydney CBD, with North Bondi and Bondi Junction as neighbouring suburbs. Most known for its world famous beach, Bondi Beach, the area is popular amongst locals and travellers alike.

“Bondi” or “Boondi” is an aboriginal word meaning “water breaking over rocks” or “noise of water breaking over rocks.”

Between 1855 and 1877 Francis O’Brien of the Bondi Estate made the beach and the surrounding land available to the public as a picnic ground and pleasure resort, but for many years threatened to stop public access to the beach. In 1859 the Municipal Council asked the Government to establish an area at the beach as a public reserve but without success. It was not until June 1882 that the Government acted and Bondi Beach opened to the public.

Bondi Beach was a working class suburb throughout most of the twentieth century with migrant people from New Zealand comprising the majority of the local population. Following World War II, Bondi Beach and the Eastern Suburbs became home for Jewish migrants from Poland, Russia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Germany. A stream of Jewish immigration continued into the 21st century and the area has a number of synagogues and kosher stores. The area today is very multicultural with a lot of new wealthy families. The multicultural migration funded and drove the growth of the suburb throughout the 90’s into the turn of the century, moving it steadily from its working class roots towards upper/middle class enclave similar to its neighbours of Rose Bay and Bellevue Hill.

Bondi Beach has been used as a location for various films, television series and music videos including The Block, Being Lara Bingle, Bondi Rescue, Bondi Vet and Breakers.


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