The Dutch connection to Bondi is deeply rooted, generally featuring Dutch-speakers, Dutch music and traditional foods eg pea soup, rookworst. This draws both locals & tourists to a special Sth Hemisphere New Year celebration. The first official Dutch New Year's Dive at Bondi Beach was on 1st Jan 2015. Dutch tourists were already influencing the Bondi Beach summer scene, largely due to a massive influx of working holiday backpackers and expats. They started linking specifically to Bondi by bringing a popular winter tradition to the Australian summer heat, a bonding event for the Dutch community being each New Year's Day Dive. While the traditional Dutch event involves jumping into freezing Netherlandish waters, while in Sydney's summer thousands of Dutch tourists and expats gather along our warm ocean waves.
4 PM New Year's Day
Visit Bondi Beach
New Year's Dive
Visit Bondi Beach
Beyond this event, Bondi is a hub for Dutch travellers. Back packers stay at local hostels eg Noah's Bondi Beach that hires Dutch-speakers. The beach's lively cafe culture & surf schools eg Let's Go Surfing, are popular with European travellers in Dec.
There is also an easily accessible cliff-top walk from Bondi to Bronte Beach, taking c35 minutes each way. During the whale-watching season from May-Nov, this cliff-top walk offers a super view of the humpback whales as they head north to Hervey Bay.
The Dutch tourist Bondi summer timeline revolves around the New Year's Day Dive. While the Dutch winter tradition began in 1960, Australian-based tour groups adapted it for Sydney's sum-mer. Dutchies flock to Bondi Beach for its surf culture & back packer life style. The major highlight is the annual New Year's Dive when hundreds of Dutch expats dressed in orange gather on clean sands to swap freezing Dutch waters for Australian warmth. They run into the ocean to celebrate the New Year.
The influx of Dutch travellers and working holidayers is a major part of Bondi's summer identity. If people are looking to connect with the Dutch community: Nederlanders in Sydney Facebook Group are great hubs for Dutch back packers to find shared beach flats, buy used cars and plan gatherings. In Jan, the New Year's Dive allows participants to align their plunge with the morning dive in the Netherlands.
There is also an easily accessible cliff-top walk from Bondi to Bronte Beach, taking c35 minutes each way. During the whale-watching season from May-Nov, this cliff-top walk offers a super view of the humpback whales as they head north to Hervey Bay.
The Dutch tourist Bondi summer timeline revolves around the New Year's Day Dive. While the Dutch winter tradition began in 1960, Australian-based tour groups adapted it for Sydney's sum-mer. Dutchies flock to Bondi Beach for its surf culture & back packer life style. The major highlight is the annual New Year's Dive when hundreds of Dutch expats dressed in orange gather on clean sands to swap freezing Dutch waters for Australian warmth. They run into the ocean to celebrate the New Year.
The influx of Dutch travellers and working holidayers is a major part of Bondi's summer identity. If people are looking to connect with the Dutch community: Nederlanders in Sydney Facebook Group are great hubs for Dutch back packers to find shared beach flats, buy used cars and plan gatherings. In Jan, the New Year's Dive allows participants to align their plunge with the morning dive in the Netherlands.
Aside from the New Year's swim, nearby Eastern Suburbs are often frequented by European back packers, with Dutch travellers comprising an important portion of the summer surf and hostel culture. After absorbing the Bondi sun, take the famous Bondi-Coogee Coastal Walk, a 6km beautiful route that passes secluded beaches and coastal cliffs. Dutch tourists love this walk because of the swimming-snorkelling, although note Coogee does not have surf like Bondi has. Dutchmen also socialise in Coogee Bay Hotel
Then after a Covid-initiated break of 2 years on 1st Jan 2023 Bondi Beach Australia turned orange again, also this year organised by Dutch Travel. 500+ dancing hats were ready for the big splash in Sydney in 2023. A large orange group of travellers, expats, backpackers and emigrated Dutch people formed an orange family on Bondi Beach. With feet in the warm sand, arms around each other, Unox hats on & flags in hand, the orange army was ready. In Bondi Beach’s centre, a huge path was cleared where an honorary hedge of Bondi Rescue workers and surprised beachgoers formed. The dancing, singing and jumping orange army moved through it bouncing into the water. The main sponsor is UNOX, the Dutch brand used for meat products.
Then after a Covid-initiated break of 2 years on 1st Jan 2023 Bondi Beach Australia turned orange again, also this year organised by Dutch Travel. 500+ dancing hats were ready for the big splash in Sydney in 2023. A large orange group of travellers, expats, backpackers and emigrated Dutch people formed an orange family on Bondi Beach. With feet in the warm sand, arms around each other, Unox hats on & flags in hand, the orange army was ready. In Bondi Beach’s centre, a huge path was cleared where an honorary hedge of Bondi Rescue workers and surprised beachgoers formed. The dancing, singing and jumping orange army moved through it bouncing into the water. The main sponsor is UNOX, the Dutch brand used for meat products.
Midnight fireworks over Sydney Harbour Bridge
Dutch tourists love the event
Blueprint Traveller
Australia is known for pristine beaches, many of them found in and around Sydney. The Bureau of Stats puts Sydney’s population at 5 mill, so 60+% of the NSW population lives in and around the state capital city. Much of the moneyed Sydney population hugs the lovely coast-line.
Bondi Beach is one of the finest beaches in the world, located c10ks from the Sydney CBD and easily accessed by public transport. Bondi Beach is surrounded by parklands, barbeques, picnic areas, children’s playgrounds, showers, toilets, multiple restaurants and cafes, and a paid parking area. Since then hordes have gathered on the sand in orange gear to plunge in the warmish waters. Dutch backpackers, expats and tour operators eg Dutchies Travel flip the freezing winter tradition upside down, launching the New Year's Dive at Bondi Beach. The event attracts endless participants who dress in orange and don Santa hats with Dutch flags. The traditional plunge time was 4 PM when participants gathered on the sand and make a festive run into the Pacific Ocean.
After WW2 160,000+ Dutch nationals migrated to Australia from the late 1940s on. Driven by war devastation and post-war economic crises at home, Dutch citizens were lured by Australian assisted passage and promises of housing & jobs. See Dutch interests in Dutch Australia Cultural Centre.
If you cannot get Comments to work, send your comments to me on helenw@bigpond.net.au and I will print them and answer them in the post. Apologies, all.
Bondi Beach is one of the finest beaches in the world, located c10ks from the Sydney CBD and easily accessed by public transport. Bondi Beach is surrounded by parklands, barbeques, picnic areas, children’s playgrounds, showers, toilets, multiple restaurants and cafes, and a paid parking area. Since then hordes have gathered on the sand in orange gear to plunge in the warmish waters. Dutch backpackers, expats and tour operators eg Dutchies Travel flip the freezing winter tradition upside down, launching the New Year's Dive at Bondi Beach. The event attracts endless participants who dress in orange and don Santa hats with Dutch flags. The traditional plunge time was 4 PM when participants gathered on the sand and make a festive run into the Pacific Ocean.
After WW2 160,000+ Dutch nationals migrated to Australia from the late 1940s on. Driven by war devastation and post-war economic crises at home, Dutch citizens were lured by Australian assisted passage and promises of housing & jobs. See Dutch interests in Dutch Australia Cultural Centre.
If you cannot get Comments to work, send your comments to me on helenw@bigpond.net.au and I will print them and answer them in the post. Apologies, all.
I didn't know there are so many Dutch backpackers here, all part of mix of people who make up our society. Some countries have had the numbers of backpackers visiting Australia restricted, perhaps not the Netherlands. The Nation Party is unhappy with restrictions on their cheap seasonal labourers.
ReplyDeleteAndrew
DeleteI dislike One Nation for many reasons but mostly because they are anti migrants and anti temporary residents eg backpackers. Australia comes alive when these backpackers arrive; we thrive financially and we really gain socially.
Is there a Dutch Australia Cultural Centre in Melbourne?
ReplyDeleteex-pat
DeleteDutch Australian Heritage Centre & the Dutch Museum in Melbourne are in a 2-storey building next to the Dutch Club Abel Tasman in Carnegie. They seem to have a very full programme.
I didn't know that Hels. What fun they must have and so many of them. We have a good lot of Dutch people living in Tasmania and of course their parents immigrated back then.
ReplyDeleteI can comment once again after not being able to along with others. Let's hope it continues.
Margaret
Deletec160,000 Dutch citizens moved to Australia following World War II, aided with full employment and assisted shipping in the 1950s, 60s and on. Mainly to Melbourne, but also to Tasmania as you noted. They were hugely popular immigrants.
After Dutch navigators charted the northern, western and southern coasts of Australia during the 17th Century this newly found continent became known as ‘Nieuw/New Holland’ in Dutch. The name was applied to the continent by Dutch seafarer Abel Tasman in 1644.
ReplyDeleteNational Library
DeleteThank you for making our connection to Holland even closer!
I am sure everyone in the Netherlands knows of Abel Tasman and his explorations, but I wonder how many Australians know he first named this nation New Holland.
How Dutch migration and community traditions have become woven into Bondi’s multicultural identity, with the New Year’s Dive offering a wonderfully symbolic reversal of a freezing Dutch winter ritual in the warmth of the Australian summer
ReplyDeleteroentare
DeleteSydney's beautiful beaches, with Bondi in the centre, stretch for a long long way. It makes perfect sense to me that backpackers and young tourists would flock to Bondi for the local hostels, VERY lively cafe culture & surf schools. If I lived in northern Europe, I would head to Sydney as soon as work and education ends each December.
I'm embarassed to say I didn't know this!
ReplyDeleteI, of course, know the Jewish people have a close association with Bondi and at one point New Zealanders (is that still the case?) but I didnt know about the Dutch
kylie
Deletemy beloved lived in Bondi until he married and left home, but otherwise I too would not have known who had a close association with which part of Sydney.
One example. After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, many thousands of Hungarians arrived in Sydney. A significant portion settled throughout the Eastern Suburbs, including Bondi.
Boa noite minha querida amiga Helen. Obrigado pela visita e comentário. Infelizmente, não terei a resposta para a sua pergunta. Eu só tirei as foto. Obrigado por suas explicações detalhadas. Espero que esteja tudo bem com você e seus familiares na Austrália, uma excelente noite de sábado, bom final de semana e um grande abraço do seu amigo carioca.
ReplyDeleteLuiz
DeleteBecause the seasons are the same with you, I am guessing that many tourists from the cold half of the world flood into Rio etc. at Christmas and New Year. It must be a wonderful holiday site.
This is an event I have never heard of before, probably because other cities including mine don't do this, if we did it would be on the news, like our annual Marilyn Monroe swim day in March.
ReplyDeleteRiver
ReplyDeleteThis gathering is community-organised by Dutchies' Travel and discussed with customers by KLM etc. So Bondi's crowd was not organised by a Council-run festival.
I wonder if the Adelaide community would be interested in organising a similar event.
So interesting to read the Dutch connection to Bondi, something I never knew of. As a child in a Queensland country town I knew a lot of Dutch people who relocated here after the war. I remember learning some Dutch language from them at school.
ReplyDeletePatricia
Deleteme too. I would say 50% of each year in my high school (1960-65) were children not born in Australia - but mainly Poles, Russians and Hungarians. The only Dutch teens I knew back then were some people in youth movements and in sports teams - really friendly people!
I didn't know this about Bondi Beach, though I've heard of the beach. It's fun that a new culture is added to the mix. It would be nice to visit some day, but maybe not during such a crowded event.
ReplyDeleteErika
DeleteWelcome! If you are a beachy person, visit us in Nov-March and wear a protective sun hat each day :)
Fascinating post, Hels. I enjoyed seeing the photos as well. Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteLinda
DeleteMe too. There is so much misery and death in the world. Seeing people have a wonderful time together is a delight.
I knew of the original "New Holland" name, we learned it in primary school.
ReplyDeleteRiver
DeleteBut the name New Holland only lasted from 1644 on. Our National Library reported: Lachlan Macquarie endorsed the name "Australia" in official dispatches to Britain in 1804, actively fearing the lingering Dutch designation and pushing the "proper" British name: Australia. It was formally adopted in 1824
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteGeorgiy
ReplyDeletethank you for reading about Bondi and other Sydney beaches, and the Dutch tourists and locals' connections. But never ever ever advertise casinos, please.
I’ve just found your comment on my blog, Hels. Thank you for this too! I never knew the Dutch thronged in such numbers on Bondi, especially for the NY swim! Amazing! Of course, it’s not such a challenge to go for a swim in the Australian summer as it is in the Dutch winter, but it must be a nice social event. ;)
ReplyDeleteVallypee
DeleteEven if you love being in another country, it must be wonderful once a year to see the landsmen, flags, colours and foods from home. It is an amazing social event, yes!