Bondi << bahn dy >> Beach, in New South Wales, is one of the most popular beaches in Australia. Located in the suburbs of Sydney, the beach covers an area of 0.5 square mile (1.3 square kilometers). Bondi regularly hosts over 1 million visitors each year.
The name Bondi is known to have come from the Aboriginal people who originally inhabited the area that is now Bondi Beach. However, the meaning of the word is debated. It has been said to mean surf or place where a fight with sticks (or clubs) takes place. In 1810, the governor of New South Wales granted the land on which the beach sits to the Australian builder William Roberts. As Sydney’s population grew, so did Bondi’s popularity. The Australian newspaper publisher Edward Hall purchased the land in 1851. A few years later, Hall officially opened the beach to the public. Since the 1880’s, Bondi Beach has been owned and managed by the local government council.
Bondi Beach has several famous attractions, including its bathing pools and pavilion. The first bathing pools, also called baths, were built by the council in 1884. 
In 1892, some of the baths’ regular visitors formed the Bondi Amateur Swimming Club. Over 30 years later, the council decided to renovate the baths and erect a large pavilion, as part of an effort to encourage development. When it was officially opened to the public in 1929, the Bondi Surf Pavilion had changing rooms, indoor baths, and a ballroom. It has since added a theater, a gallery, and a basketball court.
Known for its powerful surf, Bondi Beach attracts hundreds of thousands of international travelers each year. To ensure the safety of these visitors, the beach community has a celebrated lifeguard tradition dating back to the early 1900’s. The Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club was founded in 1907, one of the first such clubs in Australia. On one infamous day in 1938, known as “Black Sunday,” club lifeguards rescued over 300 people after a huge wave sucked them out to sea.
