Campbell Parade Artworks

Bondi Art

Bondi Beach is a local and national icon. As part of the exciting upgrade of beach front Campbell Parade, Waverley Council has commissioned Australian artists to celebrate Bondi Beach and its community in public art works. Public art enlivens our streets, parks and public places and reflects community values.

The local community wanted the artworks on Campbell Parade to reflect Bondi's unique heritage and cultural life in which the beach plays such an important role.

Furniture

Take a stroll down Campbell Parade and look at the seats and tables covered in well crafted glass mosaics reflecting Bondi's beach culture. Each piece of furniture is individually crafted.

There are some with long, low curved benches, while others are high backed with round seats.The mosaics show the natural environment and the area's distinctive beach lifestyle.
See the famous Bondi lifesavers in their original uniforms and surfers riding the waves; brightly coloured kites from the popular festival of the Winds; the renowned Bondi Tram, that gave rise to the expression 'shoot through like a Bondi tram' (the tram ran from the city to the beach for decades, until taken off in 1960); and the arches of the Bondi Pavilion. Gaze at the white sandy beach, the headlands, the rolling surf and the sea creatures skillfully crafted in the intricate mosaics.

Rondels

Campbell Art

The rondels placed in the pavement are about 1m in diameter and each shows something of Bondi's colourful heritage and beach culture. Basalt and sandstone were chosen for the rondels because they both occur locally.

Long before European settlement Aborigines began making spearheads from the local basalt found on Bondi's northern headland. Indeed, Campbell Parade is built over part of the old road to the former basalt quarry.

Swimmers, lifesavers, lifeguards, beach goers and the sea predominate in the images portrayed in the rondels.Sharks were also a presence at the beach. The fear of shark attack grew out of all proportion to the risk of attack and fueled campaigns to have sharks eradicated.One of the rondels shows Jack Platt, the famous shark fisherman.

Another has the quirky image of Princess Margaret's sandaled feet taken on the 1975 Royal Visit to Bondi.

Sculptured Rail

Near Lamrock Avenue pedestrian safety has been provided in an imaginative and practical way with a stainless steel sculpture. This piece was inspired by the waves and is open in design so the view from the shop fronts to the beach is not obstructed

Artists

Seats, tables, benches Enver Camdal and Helen Bodycomb
Pedestrian rail and armrests Chris Rak
Pavement rondels Fiona MacDonald, Kathy Grant and Melanie Cariss
Furniture set near Lamrock Avenue Lloyd Kellerman