Relax and Explore Beautiful Bondi Beach with Kids

January 31, 2016 Explorer Gabor 0 Comments

Australia's Famous Bondi Beach

Big city, lots of people, been there before - what could possibly be new about Sydney?  I knew it would be hard to convince my husband a short break in Sydney would be relaxing and fun.

He didn't agree that just because the kids wanted to go to Taronga Zoo, we should take a mini break in Sydney. To make it more palatable, I suggested we stay at Bondi Beach as we've always stayed in the city and I know how much he loves the beach.  So we winged our way from Brisbane to Sydney, via Townsville (that's another story), to have a short break exploring and relaxing at Bondi Beach.

I booked an apartment on Campbell Parade and opposite the beach.  Despite the high price, it was pretty basic with a balcony overlooking some dingy back terraces.  The building was also being renovated and we had to navigate workmen and their tools to get to our apartment.   The location was worth it though, smack bang in the middle of shops, cafe's and a bus stop was just across the road. 

Bondi Beach

Before we could relax and explore the beach, we had to go to Taronga Zoo.  My kids love zoos and it's a must-see at every place we visit.  We've explored zoos in Bali, Fiji, Melbourne, Sunshine Coast, Cairns and Brisbane, just to name a few.  After busing it to the city and taking the ferry from Circular Quay, we were soon enjoying the view from the cable car going up to Taronga Zoo.

This zoo would have to have the best view of any zoo in the world, overlooking Sydney harbour and the city. Just breathtaking.  And it's a really good large zoo, featuring all the usual and some unusual zoo residents.  And great exercise - my fitbit did over 20,000 steps that day.  I won't give you a full review of Taronga Zoo, there are thousands of reviews on the web. Take my word - it's a great zoo with a great view.

Giraffes enjoy the habour view at Taronga Zoo

Apart from going to the beach and cafe's, there isn't much more to do at Bondi Beach.   We had planned to do one of the popular walks to Bronte or Coogee, but really couldn't be bothered.  I was exhausted from a busy year at work and the thought of doing anything requiring much exertion just didn't appeal to me.  I much preferred to laze around reading or watching movies on my tablet whilst the boys were at the beach.

That doesn't mean I spent all my time lazing around.  We regularly enjoyed the surf and sand with a thousand or so other visitors each day.  The crowds certainly prove it's Australia's most famous beach. Coming from Queensland, home to some of the best beaches in the world, I found Bondi to be really nice but not the best beach I've visited.  The beach and surf is comparable to beaches at the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast, and the sand is not a patch on the soft white stuff you can bury your toes in at Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays.  I know, as a Queenslander I'm spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches.  And snorkeling.  I've snorkeled in many places across the world and still haven't found anything to compete with our beautiful Great Barrier Reef.

Back to Bondi.  Each day, buses full of Japanese tourists arrived at Bondi Beach to go for a walk and stand in the shallows. Many were attracted to the sight of my boys digging in the sand and making sandcastles. Our Japanese visitors would edge closer and closer to the kids until they were close enough to be photographed with them. The boys were blissfully unaware, digging away and only occasionally looking at the camera.  I'm sure our international visitors have happily shown their friends at home the little Aussie boys they met at Bondi Beach.

Enjoying the surf at Bondi Beach

The best bits - if you stay on or near Campbell Parade, you can walk everywhere or take the bus and you won't need to hire a car.  The weather, and the water, is cooler than beaches at the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

The so so bits - accommodation is expensive if you want to be close the beach and it can be hard to get a table at one of the many cafe's in Bondi.

Whether you have kids, are a couple or travelling alone, it's worth exploring a short break at Bondi Beach in Sydney.

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