Waverley Council has successfully negotiated sea access for the public at Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches with NSW health officials, but only for essential exercise purposes. In order to ensure that Bondi and Bronte are only used for swimming and surfing, and that Tamarama is exclusively used for surfing, access to the beaches will be strictly regulated using special entry and exit gates.
'Swim & Go' and 'Surf & Go' access will commence from Tuesday, April 28, on weekdays only between 7am and 5pm. Outside of those hours, the beaches will be totally off-limits.
While this is good news for Sydney's swimmers and surfers, no "land-based" activities of any kind, including those that might be considered exercise such as volleyball, cricket, or jogging, will be allowed. Those visiting any of the three beaches to swim or surf will not be permitted to remain on the beach once they are finished with those activities.
The stringent measures are intended to provide a safe way for local surfers and experienced ocean swimmers to exercise safely in the water while maintaining a strong emphasis on social distancing, council officials said, adding that these new rules did not constitute a "reopening" of Waverley's beaches. Three other major Sydney beaches – Clovelly, Maroubra and Coogee – were also made accessible to the public this week for exercise purposes only.
Bondi Beach
Swimmers will only be able to access the north end of the beach, while surfers will only be able to access the south end of the beach. The rest of Bondi's promenade will remain fenced to prevent beachgoers from accessing the sand.
Bronte Beach
Surfers will be able to access the seafront from the centre of the beach while swimmers will gain access via the south end of the beach, closest to the changing facilities and kiosk area. As with Bondi, the rest of the beach will be off-limits to the public, and those visiting to swim or surf will be required to leave once they have finished those activities.
Tamarama Beach
Access to Tamarama will be reserved exclusively for surfers, who will need to access the water via the stairs at the north of the beach descending from the Bondi to Coogee coastal path. The rest of the beach will remain inaccessible to the public.
Further details on the Swim & Go or Surf & Go measures can be found here.