Bronte Beach is a small but popular recreational beach in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is a division of the

LGA LaGuardia Airport ( ) – colloquially known as LaGuardia or simply LGA – is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, situated on the northwestern shore of Long Island, bordering Flushing Bay. Covering , the facility wa ...

Waverley Council Waverley Council is a Local government in Australia, Local government area in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. First incorporated on 16 June 1859 as the Municipality of Waverley, ...

. Bronte Beach is 2 kilometres south of

Bondi Beach Bondi Beach () is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Bondi Beach is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government area of ...

and north of the much larger Coogee Beach. A long distance ocean swimming event is held every December between Bondi Beach and Bronte. The three beaches are linked by a paved coastal footpath along the rocky cliff tops, much frequented by tourists and local runners and walkers. The beach is popular with surfers and despite the non rough surf, less abled swimmers can avail themselves of the bogey hole or rock pool towards the southern end of the beach. At the south end of the beach is a 30-metre ocean pool, one of the best known in Sydney. Also directly opposite from Bronte there are some popular cafes.

History

The size of the sandy area of the beach is far less than it was prior to 1914 when a

promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortification, fortress or city walls ...

and

sea wall Sea Wall or The Sea Wall may refer to: * Seawall, a constructed coastal defence * Sea Wall, Guyana * ''The Sea Wall'' (novel), 1950 French novel by Marguerite Duras * ''The Sea Wall'' (film), 2008 film based on Duras' novel See also *'' This Ang ...

were constructed. A functional storm water drain emptying near to the bogey hole was built in 1918. During heavy wave conditions in 1961 six children swimming in the bogey hole were washed back into the pipes. All six were safely rescued by Waverley Council Life Guards and Bronte lifesavers who had to crawl up into the pipes following the two branches. On the Northern end near to a stairway there is a naturally formed, large sandstone cave. This shady sheltered cave may have been used by the local indigenous people.

Naming of Bronte Beach

This is a picture of a sunrise at Bronte Beach in Sydney

Contrary to the popular misconception that Bronte Beach was named after the Brontë sisters, or Bronte House, Bronte Beach was in fact named after the British military figure Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, Duke of Bronté. In 1799 King Ferdinand III of Sicily awarded the title of

Duke of Bronte The Dukedom of Bronte ( ("Duchy of Bronte")) is a dukedom with the title Duke of Bronte (), referring to the town of Bronte, Sicily, Bronte in the province of Catania, Sicily. It was granted on 10 October 1799 at Palermo to the British Royal Navy ...

to Horatio Nelson, who from that time signed his name as "Nelson and Bronte". Originally, Bronte Beach was known as "Nelson Bay" and continues as the name of the bay fronting the beach. There are other references to Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, Duke of Bronte in the area, specifically the naming of Trafalgar Street, Nelson Avenue and Bronte Road. In 1957 the name "Bronte" for the suburb was first used in advertisements for the sale of land known as the Bronte Estate.

Surfing

There is a very dangerous rip at Bronte Beach known as the Bronte Express. The beach is patrolled by Waverley Council full-time lifeguards on a daily basis (except during winter) and volunteer lifesavers from the life saving club on weekends and public holidays. It is home to Bronte Surf Lifesaving Club and is the oldest such organisation in the world, having been formed in 1903. A public park adjoins the beach, with provision of picnic seats and barbecue hotplates, although parking is limited and restrictions are strictly enforced. The beach is served by the 379 bus from

Bondi Junction Bondi Junction is an Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 6 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Local government in Australia, local governm ...

station. The beach is shaded by hills to the west and tends to become cool, windy and deserted towards the end of the afternoon.

Notable people

Jessi Miley-Dyer Jessica Candice "Jessi" Miley-Dyer (born 29 May 1986) is an Australian professional surfer. She currently resides in Sydney. Professional surfer Miley-Dyer began surfing at the age of eight and became a professional surfer in 2006, having a v ...

, surfer

References

External links

*''The Book of Sydney Suburbs'', Compiled by Frances Pollen, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1990, Published in Australia *"Sand in our Souls - the Beach in Australian History" Leone Huntsman, MUP, 2001
Guide to Sydney Beaches

Bronte Surf Club
{{Beaches of New South Wales Tourist attractions in Sydney Beaches of New South Wales Surfing locations in New South Wales Bronte, New South Wales