Tamarama Beach Audio Guide

Tamarama Beach: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Tamarama Beach

   Welcome to Tamarama Beach, one of the smallest and most striking beaches on Sydney's eastern coastline. It sits in a narrow, steep-sided bay framed by sandstone cliffs and headlands, about 6 kilometers east of the city centre, in the Waverley Council area. Bondi Beach lies roughly 1 kilometer to the north, and Bronte Beach is a couple of hundred metres to the south, so Tamarama is tucked neatly between two much bigger names. The beach is only about 80 meters long. Yet this little pocket of sand has had a funfair with a roller coaster, a long fight over who owned the shoreline, a famously fierce surf, and a nickname that has stuck: Glamarama, for its fashionable crowd. Over the next few stops, you will hear how it got its name, how a Victorian-era amusement park once filled the hollow behind you, how swimmers took on a fence, and why the ocean here demands respect. Look around: the grassy terraces above the sand, the picnic areas, the pavilion at the back of the beach. Each has a story behind it.

2. 02

   A Name Born of Storms

   Start with the name. Tamarama is probably a shortened form of the Aboriginal name Gamma Gamma, a word that appeared on maps of this coastline in the 1860s and is thought to mean storm. Anyone who has watched the swell pile into this bay will find that it fits. The bay has worn several other names. The land was granted to J R Hatfield in 1839. Locals later called the area Dixon's Bay, after a nearby landowner, Doctor Dixon. In the 1870s it became Fairlight Glen, after a local house called Fairlight, and then Fletcher's Glen, after David Fletcher, who owned a 10-acre beach frontage and became the first Mayor of Waverley. The Aboriginal story here goes back much further than any map. Rock shelters and easy access to the ocean made this stretch of coast attractive to people long ago. Along the coastal walk there are engravings of marine creatures said to be up to 2,000 years old, as well as old fireplaces and deposits of discarded shellfish shells. Because of these finds, part of Tamarama has been declared a site of archaeological significance by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

3. 03

   Wonderland by the Sea

   Now picture this hollow behind the beach without the grass and picnic tables. In 1887, Sydney's first coastal amusement park, and one of the earliest in Australia, opened right here as the Bondi Aquarium. Its greatest attraction was a plunging roller coaster that dived and twisted over the beach. Crowds came for the rides, and also for vaudeville acts and aquarium creatures, including seals and a tiger shark. The site later passed to the theatrical entrepreneur William Anderson, who leased the land that had been the Royal Aquarium and Pleasure Grounds. The park came to be known as Wonderland City, and in its day it was the largest open-air amusement park in the Southern Hemisphere. Eventually visitor numbers fell amid battles over beach access, claims of animal cruelty and troubles with an airship. The park closed in 1911. The state government then bought the land and created Tamarama Park, the green space you see today. The old park is remembered in a street name: Wonderland Avenue, a residential street a short walk from the park.

4. 04

   The Fence, the Swimmers and the Surf

   Anderson's lease had one important condition: the land came minus a 12-foot strip of coastline, so that the public could still reach the beach. This was 1906, a few years after a genteel campaign of civil disobedience had opened Sydney's beaches to daytime bathing. Some of the local swimmers were influential businessmen, and they were furious at having their beach cut off. What followed was a weekly ritual. They would cut Anderson's wire fence, he would repair it and call the police, and the police would arrive and warn the swimmers. The following weekend the same scene played out again. One of those swimmers was George B Philip, who became the foundation President of the Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club. The club has plenty of work today. Tamarama has deep water, a small bay and an easterly aspect, so it picks up every swell. Even a small swell can set up rips running at around 2 meters per second. It is considered the most dangerous patrolled beach in New South Wales, with more rescues per thousand bathers than any other Sydney beach. That same energy makes it popular with surfers, especially bodyboarders, who find short, fast and powerful waves here.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Before you move on, keep an eye on the sand itself. Locals tell of a huge east coast storm in May 1997 that made the beach virtually vanish overnight. It is said to have stayed away for 10 years, until the sand returned in May 2007, the biggest build-up locals had seen in 50 years. By August of that year, further storms had taken it away again. A beach this small is clearly at the mercy of the ocean. There is plenty more to enjoy. Tamarama is part of the famous Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk, a 2.5-kilometer trail along the headlands and beaches of the eastern suburbs. A kiosk in the pavilion at the back of the beach is a good place for a coffee. The walk is also the stage for Sculpture by the Sea, Sydney's much-loved public art event. If you are travelling by bus, the 381 runs from Bondi Junction and the 362 links Tamarama with Bondi Beach and Coogee. Parking in the back streets is hard to find. So walk on, look back at the bay from the headland, and decide for yourself whether this tiny cove deserves its Glamarama nickname.