Mackenzies Bay

This article is about Mackenzies Bay, NSW, Australia. For the bay in Greenland, see Mackenzie Bay. For the bay in Canada, see Mackenzie Bay, Canada. For the embayment in the Amery Ice Shelf, Antarctica, see MacKenzie Bay. For McKenzies Beach on the South Coast of NSW, Australia, see Malua Bay.
Mackenzies Bay
Bight
View of Mackenzies Bay, looking north-east
View of Mackenzies Bay, looking north-east
Mackenzies Bay is located in New South Wales
Mackenzies Bay
Mackenzies Bay
Coordinates: 33°53′59″S 151°16′23″E / 33.899831°S 151.273131°E / -33.899831; 151.273131
LocationEastern Suburbs, New South Wales, Australia
Offshore water bodiesTasman Sea

Mackenzies Bay is a small inlet in the coast between Bondi Beach and Tamarama Beach in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. It forms part of the shoreline boundary of the suburb of Tamarama. 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[1] or Mackenzies[2]—comes into existence. Mackenzies Bay is also a well-known surf break.[3]

In recent years, the beach existed at times during 2007,[4] 2016,[1] 2019,[5] and 2023.[6] Because it is not a permanent beach and is not patrolled, whenever it exists, the beach has become, de facto, a 'dog-friendly beach'.[1][4][7]

In the years up to 1947, the beach typically appeared around December and then disappeared around March, with the arrival of southerly gales.[8][9][10] The beach then did not reappear until near the end of October 1951.[10] The beach next reappeared in November 1953.[11] In 1997, there was so much sand that, at low tide, it was almost possible to walk between Tamarama and South Bondi. In the years between 1997 and 2007, there was no beach.[4] Unusually, in 2007, the beach arrived in May and disappeared in August.[4] 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.[1][5][6][12] The latest instance of the beach was disappearing by February 2024.[12][13]

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.[14][15]

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 and Denham Street, east to the coast, and as far south as Gaerloch Avenue, Tamarama.[4][16]

  • 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,[17] which is visible in the upper-left.
    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,[17] which is visible in the upper-left.
  • Mackenzies Bay, as a sandy beach, in July 2007. The year 2007 was unusual as the beach was present during winter.
    Mackenzies Bay, as a sandy beach, in July 2007. The year 2007 was unusual as the beach was present during winter.
  1. ^ a b c d Hansen, Nick (3 October 2016). "Sydney's mystery 'pop up beach'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Mackenzies - Beach in Tamarama Waverley NSW". SLS Beachsafe. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Mckenzies [sic] Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Reports (NSW - Sydney South Coast, Australia)". www.surf-forecast.com. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e Waverley Council (2007). "Mackenzies Bay: Waverley's mystery beach" (PDF).
  5. ^ a b "Sydney's Disappearing MacKenzies [sic] Bay Beach Has Made a Triumphant Return". Concrete Playground. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b Green, Eli (17 October 2023). "Secret beach at Mackenzies Bay reappears in Sydney's east". news.com.au.
  7. ^ "Freedom for Dogs vs Freedom From Dogs". The Beast. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Sea swallows beach". Daily Telegraph. 12 March 1944. p. 4. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  9. ^ "'Will-of-Wisp' Beach". Sydney Morning Herald. 30 December 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Beach returns". Daily Telegraph (Sydney, NSW : 1931 - 1954). 29 October 1951. p. 3. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  11. ^ "SWIMMER FORCED FROM SURF". Daily Telegraph. 16 November 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Mackenzies Bay Beach Is Back: The Ultimate Sydney Hidden Gem Re-emerges". Visit Bondi Beach. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  13. ^ Dalton, Angus (8 February 2024). "Sydney's magical mystery beach is vanishing again". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  14. ^ Meadows, Elida (August 1999). "Aboriginal History of the Waverley Area - A discussion paper" (PDF). Reference Department, Waverley Library.
  15. ^ "Sydney: Aboriginal Sites". www.visitsydneyaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  16. ^ "'Milko!' Dairies in Waverley" (PDF). Published by Waverley Library from sources in the Local History Collection, 2010.
  17. ^ "The Bondi to Tamarama walk". www.bonditocoogeewalk.com. Retrieved 18 March 2020.