Paradise Awaits: Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach is located in Sydney, NSW 2026, Australia in the Eastern Suburbs. It is in the area of Waverly Council and is also approximately 8km east of the Sydney central business district. The latitude and longitude of Bondi Beach is 33.8915° S, 151.2767° E. To start off with, Bondi Beach is approximately 1km long with an average width of 50m at the North end, which broadens out to 100m at the South end. Therefore, making this beach the widest in the Sydney region. There are many flora and fauna distributed throughout the beach.  Flora found at Bondi include native plants seen along pathways and cliffs. Some native plants include the Lomandra longifolia and Banksia imbricata. Seaweed is also found across the ocean and around the shore. Fauna you may find at the beach include, seagulls, variety of fish, whales and sharks. Many Seagulls are seen all around the beach. Little fish are visible when swimming in the ocean. Some other features distributed on the beach include the golden sand, rocks/pebbles and seashells. 

The sand body has a minimum depth of 25m before reaching snapstone bedrock. Different size rocks and pebbles are distributed along the concrete pathways. Near the big rocks, there are many different types of seashells can be seen all around. Biophysical processes maintain ecosystem functioning. An example for Bondi Beach is erosion. This leads to negative impacts on the ecosystem, which will then have a greater effect on the flora and fauna that live within the area.  Erosion is a biophysical process acted by natural forces (wind and waves) which then wear away rocks and soil. This biophysical process leads to undercutting of cliffs and steep slopes. Human activities are also to blame for removing coastal sediments by dredging or sand mining. If the soil is damaged, plants can’t get water and nutrients from it. Aquatic plants are also affected as sediment deposition occurs which increases the water turbidity. 

Meaning the sunlight is harder to penetrate the water causing them to lose sunlight they need for photosynthesis. Erosion increases sedimentation and pollution in the ocean, which clogs waterways with a result of the decline in fauna living underwater as their habitat becomes destroyed. Throughout the years of the existence of Bondi Beach and Venice Beach, humans have developed many coastal structures such as seawalls, groynes and/or breakwaters. These structures have impacts on these beaches as it can protect them from biophysical processes such as erosion and longshore drift. At Bondi Beach, the infrastructure is well built. There is a park near the beach where people like to relax and play or even look at the view of the beach. A rock pool is also available if you prefer swimming there instead of the ocean. As you walk along the concrete pathways, with walls covered by beautiful artworks, you’ll come across Bondi Pavillion. This site hosts many fun activities. There is also a skate park available for those who love to skate. If you go further from the beach, many shops are located there which is good for shopping or eating after going to Bondi Beach. Venice Beach in Los Angeles, CA, has similar infrastructure but offers more. Including shops, food stands, skatepark, gym and even an amusement park. There are many different kinds of shops available at Venice including food, skateboarding, surfing, tattoos and piercing and more. You are able to find food stands around the area such as a hotdog and/ or an ice cream stand. 

The Venice skatepark is way bigger than the skatepark in Bondi Beach. Even the gym is huge in Venice Beach for free. The Venice Beach amusement park is a great place for families and friends to hang out after spending time at the actual beach. There are many different factors that may influence the management responses between these two countries. Theses factors can either be based on money, public interests, short/long term impacts. As the years go by, the economy grows. This results in the government investing more money into the beach so that when more or even new people visit, the beach will have new and improved infrastructure but also buildings near the beach with have an increased rate in price. Public interest also ties into money. People nowadays are coming up with more and more ideas of improving the beach. Therefore, the government wants to give people what they want, so in return they attract more people which means more consumers and more money. The last factor is short/long term impacts. 

The government and councils comes up with many ways to make the beach better to see if it will be successful in either theses terms. An example would be the coastal structures. By designing these structures, it helps reduce biophysical processes from damaging the beaches. Management responses such as the construction of coastal structures and how the beach is used are effective for many reasons. The coastal structures that are built/being built at Bondi Beach and Venice Beach are effective for the future as it will help reduce the biophysical process. The beach will also be able to survive for a longer period of time allowing people to go there and enjoy the beach while it lasts. By using the beach, it shows that people care and enjoy the beautiful environment that they are lucky to have. Also, by people using the beaches, they are not wasting this beautiful ecosystem.  

In conclusion, Bondi Beach has a successful coastal management strategy of seawalls which reduce erosion. By reducing this issue, they are improving and helping the beach from being further damaged. With this management strategy it helps the ecosystem function properly by protecting it. Future plans for Bondi Beach can include implementing more effective coastal management strategies for Bondi Beach such as groynes, breakwaters, beach nourishment and many more. Another option would be to create a new strategy that will last for longer years. 

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