Bondi Beach

Around 1km (0.6mi) long and surrounded at both ends by majestic headlands, Bondi (pronounced bon-dye, the name comes from the Aboriginal word for the sound of surf) is the grande dame of Australian beaches. For decades Bondi's great arc of sand has played a crucial part in Sydney's self-image and the Australian national psyche; the beach is a sandy synonym for the laid-back, sun-loving Aussie way of life and a picture-perfect encapsulation of the country's naturally beautiful coastline.

Bondi began drawing huge crowds in the 1920s - peaking in 1929 with an estimated crowd of 200,000 - and still draws tens of thousands on some hot summer days, giving it something of a carnival atmosphere. Christmas here is chaotic, with thousands of esky-lugging picknickers and fascinated foreigners hitting the sand for a quintessential Aussie Chrissy experience.

Bondi wasn't always super-glam: in the 1940s and 50s, its flavour came from its blend of wave-loving Jewish, Italian and English folk who arrived during World War II. Determined to live by one of the world's most beautifully proportioned beaches, many picked up huge houses near the sea for a song from families who were moving inland for fear of an attack on Sydney by Japanese warships.