Latest news with #BronteBeach
The Standard
01-07-2025
- Climate
- The Standard
'Bomb cyclone' pummels Sydney with heavy rains, winds
A man runs as storm clouds hover above at Bronte Beach in Sydney, Australia, July 1, 2025. (Reuters)
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Aussie council's $220k move after chaotic beach scenes anger locals
A city council has vowed to drastically ramp up efforts to contain crowds that flock to the beach to party on Christmas Day, after years of numbers swelling into the high thousands and numerous complaints from fed-up locals. Bronte Park, at Bronte Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs, attracts several thousand revellers each year on Christmas Day, who flock to the popular seaside spot to celebrate in the sun. While the partygoers can hardly be blamed for wanting to enjoy such a pristine location, it's come at the ire of locals, who argue crowds become rowdy, leave behind mountains of rubbish, and prevent residents from enjoying their suburb. In recent years, locals said numbers had swollen to their "worst ever" rates, with 2025's event also renewing concerns. Bronte residents said they're sick of being forced to pitch in to clean up the filthy waste annually, including broken glass and even vomit, which is routinely left behind by the throng — largely made up of travellers. Now, after a string of complaints to Waverley Council, it has vowed to act. Speaking to Yahoo News, a council spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that it had decided on how best to manage revellers in 2025, following a meeting on Tuesday night. At the meeting, four proposals were put forward. Option 1 was to take no action, with no additional services provided. Option 2 proposed keeping the same crowd and waste management systems as in 2024. Option 3, which received the most community support, involved enhanced management, more cleaning, security, toilets, police presence, and a communications campaign to discourage attendance, costing around $220,000. Option 4 suggested fencing off the entire park and beach for a fully ticketed, alcohol-free event, but this was deemed costly (minimum $360,000) and logistically risky, potentially pushing unruly partygoers to other beaches. After significant community consultation, "councillors endorsed the recommendation outlined in the report — known as 'option 3'," the Waverley spokesperson said. This plan proposes a more robust and proactive strategy than what was implemented previously, with a strong emphasis on safety, cleanliness, and crowd control, without physically fencing the park or requiring ticketed entry. 🚮 Aussie councils warn crowds after 'disgusting' scenes 🧑🎄 'Disgusting' scenes as thousands hit famous Aussie beach for Christmas 🏝️ 'Worst ever': Outrage as iconic beach trashed At a minimum cost of $220,000 to Council (including staff time), the scheme will provide expanded service provision across key areas. These include: Increased cleaning and waste management to handle large volumes of rubbish. Improved toilet facilities to meet heightened demand. Enhanced security and a visible police presence to deter antisocial behaviour. New or strengthened alcohol bans or checkpoints to curb public drinking. A key feature of this option is a comprehensive public communications campaign to discourage attendance at Bronte on Christmas Day and to set clear expectations around acceptable behaviour. The plan also includes greater collaboration with rideshare operators, emergency services, and traffic control to manage congestion and safety risks in the surrounding area. Enforcement will be tightened, with council rangers empowered to issue fines for littering or misuse of public space. Although this option does not attempt to fully prevent visitation, it is designed to mitigate negative impacts while maintaining public access and avoiding the significant financial and logistical challenges of a full park enclosure. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Daily Mail
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
The huge changes coming to annual Christmas Day party on Bronte Beach after spirited revellers left behind a trail of glass and rubbish two years in a row
A Sydney council which compared the mess left in the wake of a Christmas Day beach party to attendees 'sh***ing on our doorstep' will spend $220,000 on waste management, security and toilets for this year's event. Waverley Council considered a variety of new rules for the festive gathering at Bronte Beach during a meeting of councillors on Tuesday night. These measures included a stronger enforcement of the glass and booze ban with a strengthened police presence to crackdown on anti-social behaviour this year. Up to 15,000 people, including a large number of tourists, gather at the iconic beach to celebrate Christmas Day every year. But the event came under fire in 2023 when the council complained that crowds had left large amounts of rubbish and glass behind. 'It's basically people sh***ing on our doorstep,' local councillor Leon Goltsman told NewsWire on Boxing Day in 2023. 'The fact there is still broken glass there, people are cutting their feet, the fact people are still having illegal parties… the fact if anyone gets injured or hurt, we can't even get an ambulance to them because it is all blocked, it's unacceptable.' Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh told Newswire that the council didn't want to restrict access to the beach and surrounds by making it a fenced or ticketed event. The council on Tuesday will consider a strict glass bottle ban and increased police attendance An online survey commissioned by the council found fencing off the park was only supported by 25 per cent of locals. 'We heard the community loud and clear after Christmas in 2024,' Mayor Nemesh told 702 ABC Radio Sydney. 'Bronte is an absolutely spectacular part of the world. We want to ensure by implementing option three, all people can enjoy the public open spaces, but do so responsibly and respectfully. While alcohol is already banned on Bronte Beach and the surrounding park, the large number of people on Christmas Day means it is often smuggled in. Councillors is optimistic that a strict ban on glass and an increased police presence would deter people from drinking alcohol and engaging in anti-social behaviour. Waverley Council said the 15,000 people who visited the beach on Christmas Day last year was a 20 per cent increase on the previous years.
ABC News
17-06-2025
- General
- ABC News
Waverley Council to spend extra $220,000 to manage 'out of control' beach Christmas Day party
Sydney's Waverley Council will spend an extra $220,000 to manage a backpackers Christmas party that drew 15,000 people to a beach last year. The extra thousands of dollars will be spent on waste management, security, toilets and more enforcement of a ban on glass at Bronte Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Bronte resembled a sea of mostly red-clad partygoers at the gathering at Christmas Day last year, which has been branded an "orphans" Christmas for travellers celebrating the holiday away from home. However, large piles of rubbish being left behind frustrated residents, prompting the local council to consider action. Bronte local Warren Livingstone told 702 ABC Radio Sydney the park behind the beach is "out of control" on Christmas Day and often is often left covered in bottletops and crushed glass. "I can't see any locals enjoying it. Without being a wowser, I just can't see how it's good for the community." Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh said council did not want to restrict access to public spaces. "We heard the community loud and clear after Christmas in 2024," Cr Nemesh told 702 ABC Radio Sydney. "But at the same time, where visitors come to Waverley we want them to be respectful, particularly of our locals." Cr Nemesh said there would be more bins and greater enforcement of a glass ban on the day. He also said council paid for the police to attend the beach last year. Waverley Council said the 15,000 people who visited the beach on Christmas Day last year was a 20 per cent increase compared to the year before. Council was also concerned about there being less space at Bronte on Christmas this year due to construction work at the surf club. Councillors were also presented with the option of turning Bronte into a fenced-off, alcohol-free ticketed event on Christmas Day. Waverley Council did not vote in favour of this option. An online survey run by council found the greatest support for increasing rubbish collection and security, with 56 per cent of the 119 responses. The option to fence off the park only garnered 25 per cent support.
News.com.au
17-06-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Waverely Council set to vote for glass bottle ban ahead of 2025 Bronte Beach Christmas Day party
A strictly enforced booze ban and a greater police presence could be on the way for the legendary Christmas Day bash at Sydney's Bronte Beach. Waverley Council, which takes in the iconic beach and Bronte Park along with Bondi Beach, is expected to vote on Tuesday night for a sweep of new enforcement measures to reduce the scale of rowdiness and rubbish that has marked the beloved celebration in recent years. Thousands of tourists from around the world descend on the beach to soak up the day, often donning red bathing suits. But tensions between residents and visitors boiled over in 2023, when the park the park was left littered with rubbish and broken glass. 'It's basically people sh***ing on our doorstep,' Waverley Bondi Ward Councillor Leon Goltsman told NewsWire on Boxing Day that year. 'The fact there is still broken glass there, people are cutting their feet, the fact people are still having illegal parties … the fact if anyone gets injured or hurt, we can't even get an ambulance to them because it is all blocked, it's unacceptable.' But from Tuesday night, the council will likely entrench new rules to control the party, including a prohibition on all glass bottles and additional crowd management officers. 'Enhancements following community consultation are recommended, with additional focus on police presence to address anti-social behaviour and preserve public safety, including the implementation of alcohol bans or other alcohol checkpoints, depending on what is most practical given the unfenced location,' the council's June 17 agenda document states. 'Further enhancements include a comprehensive communications campaign to deter attendance and promote positive behaviour. 'Further, in this option, council officers will collaborate with various stakeholders including ride share operators, emergency services, traffic management and waste and cleansing services to improve outcomes across those areas.' The 'option three' model was one of five considered by the council to reorganise the Christmas Day event. Other options included putting on a fenced, ticketed event or leaving the park as an open slather with no enforcement mechanisms in place. Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh, speaking with NewsWire ahead of the vote, said he backed option three and said it was 'highly likely' other councillors would too. 'It's basically an evolving strategy, over two years, to make sure we get the balance right between community expectations and people having fun,' he said. Alcohol is already prohibited on the beach and in the park, Mayor Nemesh noted, but the vast numbers of attendees meant liquor usually slipped through. The councillors hope a strict ban on glass coupled with a larger police presence will suppress alcohol consumption. 'We want everyone to have fun,' he said. 'Bronte is an absolutely spectacular part of the world. We want to ensure by implementing option three, all people can enjoy the public open spaces, but do so responsibly and respectfully.' 'Option three is sensible and reasonable and a measured approach to dealing with this ongoing issue we have each year at Christmas in Bronte.'
