1880s - 1920s

Eight hours of work, 8 hours of leisure and 8 hours of sleep with fair pay for a 44-hour working week helped pave the way for tourism at Sydney’s beaches.

The extension of the tramline in the late 19th century also made an outing to Bondi a popular outing for people with more leisure time.

Even though ocean bathing was prohibited in the colony of NSW from the 1830s to preserve public modesty (and, in earlier years, to prevent convicts swimming to freedom or being eaten by sharks), a picnic or trip to seaside tearooms was still a welcome escape. This was the beginning of tourism in Bondi.

The push for an 8-hour working week had been growing since the mid-19th century. Stonemasons were the first industry to win a shorter working day, paving the way for other industries to fight for the same rights.

Bondi Beach remained in private ownership until the 1880s, when it was resumed by the state as a public recreational reserve for the people of Sydney. Tourism gained pace with the arrival of cheap public transport in the form of trams and a growing number of amusements, including the Bondi Aquarium.

As part of the sand dune stabilisation scheme that began at Bondi in 1900, a rudimentary park began to form at the beachfront. Early change sheds for swimmers emerged before the Bondi Pavilion of today was built as part of the beach beautification scheme of the 1920s. With that, Bondi became the Playground of the Pacific.

Images courtesy the Waverley Library Local Studies Collection.