‘Bent like butter’: Bondi Icebergs damaged after swells battered Sydney beaches

Sydney’s famous Bondi Icebergs pool has suffered hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage after huge swells lashed the iconic swimming spot, reaching up to 10 metres above the pool deck.

Thirty metres of glass fencing outside the club’s change rooms was shattered, railings were “bent like butter”, and a 20-tonne water tank was swept onto the beach, with the almost century-old pool expected to be closed for at least a week as members take stock of the devastation caused by a high tide, combined with large swells and strong winds.

Bondi Icebergs Club general manager Bob Tate said the waves, which hit as a high tide of 1.9 metres at Bondi Beach peaked around midnight Tuesday, had torn through the lifeguard tower 10 metres above the pool deck.

CCTV footage from inside the pool’s offices showed water sweeping through and dislodging furniture.

“It’s ripped cupboards off the wall,” Tate said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s quite extraordinary.”

The pool was closed on Tuesday afternoon, the only time Tate can recall a complete closure in the past 20 years, as water rose two metres above the pool at low tide.

Clean-up began on Wednesday morning to remove the glass from the pool, which is expected to be closed for at least a week.

“The best we can hope for is a week,” Tate said.

At nearby Bronte, brick walls bordering the beach were smashed when the swell swallowed the shoreline, sending debris metres from the sand and onto the lawn beyond the footpath.

Elsewhere in Sydney, the storm surges caused widespread damage, with a section of the esplanade at Cronulla damaged and beachside walkways inundated with water after the storm surge. A high tide of 1.8 metres was recorded at Cronulla Beach around midnight.

Brick walls at Bronte Beach were damaged when waves hit, sending debris flying metres beyond the footpath.Credit: Kate Geraghty

A section of the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk was cordoned off with fencing and police tape, spanning from the foreshore entry to Icebergs and the stairway near Mackenzies Point. Stairwells to the viewing platforms by the Bondi rocks were also cordoned off, as a handful of surfers braved the swell at the north of the beach.

Residents of around 30 properties in Botany Bay left their homes as conditions worsened, before returning on Wednesday, the NSW SES said.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued hazardous surf warnings for Sydney and the coastline stretching south to Eden and as far north as Byron Bay.

A water tank washed onto Bondi Beach becomes an instant attraction.Credit: Kate Geraghty

The SES said large swells and strong winds were again expected to coincide with high tide on Wednesday night, but the impacts would be less than those felt overnight on Tuesday.

People are advised to avoid walking near surf-exposed areas, consider staying out of the water, and avoid climbing on sand dunes formed by coastal erosion, which was most severe around Bondi.

Fishers are advised to avoid coastal rock platforms and seek a safe location sheltered from the surf.

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