Waverley Council votes on future of Bronte cackpackers’ Christmas Day party

Bronte Beach’s controversial Christmas Day bonanza will live on for another year, with the council tasked with managing thousands of backpackers saying they’ve found a solution to satisfy both revellers and ratepayers.

The controversial Christmas Day tradition of backpackers flocking to Bronte Beach for alcohol-fuelled festivities will live on for at least another year, despite the chagrin of fed-up locals.

In what has become an expatriate tradition known as “Orphans’ Christmas” more than 10,000 young adults descend on the picturesque enclave in Sydney’s east on December 25, leaving piles of rubbish and disgruntled ratepayers in their wake.

Last year, an estimated 15,000 revellers turned up to share the joy – a 20 per cent increase from previous years – and trashed the beach and adjoining park.

The carnage left in the aftermath ignited existing furore, with calls for the gathering to be scrapped, especially after it was revealed the clean-up bill totalled $60,000.

Now, Waverley Council has voted against cancelling this December’s event and will instead ramp up operations by providing more toilets, security and transport measures.

Bronte Beach has become know as an “Orphans’ Christmas” location, attracting thousands of young people. Picture: Monique Harmer

On Tuesday night, councillors voted for the “right balance” after lengthy consultation following community uproar.

According to council papers, the favourable option “would potentially see a significant reduction to risks and various impacts” by increasing council’s capability to manage large crowd numbers.

Mountains of trash are left behind after over 10,000 people celebrated Christmas Day at Bronte Beach. Photo: Tom Parrish

The decision comes on the heels of a forum held last month, where aggrieved locals made it clear they wanted the whole event shut down and urged council to “make it as difficult as damn possible” for would-be revellers.

As previously reported  residents were presented with four options of how the bonanza should proceed.

The options were: allowing the event to proceed entirely unrestricted; enforcing some level of management with a police presence and extra toilets; increasing security and transport options; or running a paid, ticketed event with an alcohol ban.

The forum quickly agreed they needed to “break the cycle” of Bronte being “annually abused” by discouraging revellers.

On Tuesday night, Waverley Mayor Will Nemesh said the key was striking a balance between visitors having fun and residents’ concerns being heard.

“We all want our community to have a good time because it’s a stunning part of the world. The key here is to take on board the concerns our residents have,” he said.

However, when passing the motion, Mayor Nemesh noted that only time would tell how this year’s celebrations would pan out.

“If only we had a crystal ball and could see into the future and know that what we propose will work,” he said.