Mackenzies Bay is a small inlet in the coast between

Bondi Beach Bondi Beach is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Bondi Beach is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council, in the Easter ...

and Tamarama Beach in the

Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...

of Sydney, New South Wales. It forms part of the shoreline boundary of the suburb of

Tamarama Tamarama is a beachside suburb, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Tamarama is 6 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council. Tamarama has a small ...

. Most of the time, it is a rocky inlet but, at times, depending on prevailing conditions, a sandy beach—known informally as Mackenzies Bay Beach or Mackenzies—comes into existence. Mackenzies Bay is also a well-known surf break. In recent years, the beach existed at times during 2007, 2016, 2019, and 2023. Because it is not a permanent beach and is not patrolled, whenever it exists, the beach has become, '' de facto'', a 'dog-friendly beach'. In the years up to 1947, the beach typically appeared around December and then disappeared around March, with the arrival of southerly gales. The beach then did not reappear until near the end of October 1951. The beach next reappeared in November 1953. In 1997, there was so much sand that, at low tide, it was almost possible to walk between

and South Bondi. In the years between 1997 and 2007, there was no beach. Unusually, in 2007, the beach arrived in May and disappeared in August. In September 2016, December 2019, and late August 2023, the beach followed its more typical pattern and appeared in time for the beginning of the Australian summer. The latest instance of the beach was disappearing by February 2024. The area was occupied by local Aborigines, before their dispossession in the years after Sydney was established in 1788. There is a rock engraving at Mackenzies Point depicting marine life. The age of the engraving is not known, but could be up to 2,000 years old. Mackenzies Bay and nearby Mackenzies Point are named after the Mackenzie family who, from the 1860s to approximately 1926, ran the Waverley Dairy on farmlands that stretched from near the corner of

Bondi Road Bondi Road is a road in the Sydney suburb of Bondi, Australia. The road traverses east from Syd Einfeld Drive in Bondi Junction to Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach. It is 1.8 kilometres long and is located in the local government area of Waverley ...

and Denham Street, east to the coast, and as far south as Gaerloch Avenue, Tamarama. File:Mackenzies Bay - panoramio.jpg, Mackenzies Bay, as a rocky inlet, in April 2013. The headland in the background is Mackenzies Point. Both are on the route of the Bondi to Coogee urban coastal walk, which is visible in the upper-left. File:Mackenzies Bay (July 2007) Photographer Dave Keeshan.jpg, Mackenzies Bay, as a sandy beach, in July 2007. The year 2007 was unusual as the beach was present during winter.

References

{{Reflist Sydney localities Beaches of Sydney

External links

Bondi to Coogee urban coastal walking pathWhy people are being told to stay away from the popular 'mythical' beach at Sydney's Mackenzies Bay - ABC News (January 2024)
Surfing locations in New South Wales