Bronte Christmas party: Mayor demands compensation after famous beach is trashed

A Sydney mayor is demanding compensation for a huge clean-up bill after an iconic beach was vandalized by a crowd of 10,000 during a beachside Christmas party.

Bronte Beach in Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs looked like a rubbish dump on Boxing Day after the annual Christmas party on Monday.

In the beachside suburb – where the average house price of a home is more than $5.8 million – nearly 10,000 revelers descended on the beachside park to celebrate the Christmas festivities.

The annual event has long been a mecca for thousands of tourists and backpackers who travel to Australia for the summer Christmas experience.

However, the crowd has angered angry locals and mayors after the famous spot was left in a mess with empty bottles, plastic bags, clothes and tampons. spread across the lawn of the reserve.

Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos said she was 'shocked' by revelers – many of whom she said were tourists and backpackers – who showed little respect for the 'beautiful setting'.

Ms Masselos explained that the party saw a 20 per cent increase in visitor numbers compared to previous years, which she said was driven by the Government's tourism campaign which heavily focused on the Waverley region.

“The problem we have is that these are people who are mainly backpackers and tourists, and how do you bring this to their attention?” Mrs. Masselos told it The Daily Telegraph.

“The state and federal governments are running a lot of advertising campaigns to boost tourism, and Bondi and Waverley were prominently featured and the council is not receiving any kind of additional support.

“If state and federal governments are going to promote these tourist spots, municipalities will need support to manage the impacts.”

However, a NSW Government spokesperson hit back, claiming there are currently no campaigns involving Bondi or Bronte beaches.

The spokesperson added that Waverley Council makes 'significant' income from its beaches, with the local authority making 'millions' in parking revenue each year.

Anticipating the large crowds, the municipality ensured that extra park staff were present from the morning until 10 p.m.

The council also organized extra police officers, lifeguards, rangers, council beach ambassadors, additional signage and social media posts to remind people that the area is an alcohol-free zone.

Waverley Bondi Ward councilor Leon Goltsman said the beach party was 'unacceptable' and the council needed to send a clearer message to tourists and the wider public that it would not accept inconsiderate behavior in the future.

“It's actually people standing on our doorstep singing,” he said on Boxing Day.

'The fact that there is still broken glass there, that people are cutting their feet, that people are still throwing illegal parties.

“The fact that if someone is hurt or injured, we can't even send an ambulance because it's all blocked is unacceptable.”

Mr Goltsman said the council had to organize family events over the Christmas period to keep beaches free of wild parties.

“You can't control people who are p***pots, they bring alcohol to the beach,” he said.

'But if we organize our own events, or at least work with people who are professionals and they could help organize events, then it is the organization of it.

“It shows people that Bondi (and Bronte) is off limits for this kind of behavior.”

Mr Goltsman said angry Bronte residents had called him to complain.

A resident-led beach clean-up is underway, with locals coming to help clean up broken glass and vomit.

“If you walk on the beach barefoot, there's a very good chance you're going to cut your foot,” Mr. Goltsman said.

Robert Kokolich, a longtime resident who lives near the beach, said the crowd defied the alcohol ban and became aggressive when he tried to film them.

'It was the worst ever. Things got out of hand. Nothing happened in Bondi, but everyone must have come to Bronte… right in front of my house,” Kokolich said.

Mr Kokolich and his wife Vesna were among locals who returned to the beach on Boxing Day morning to help council staff clear up litter strewn about.

While the beach “started to look better” after a few hours of work, Kokolich said locals cleaned up everything from vomit to tampons.

'It's that bad. Once I saw it, I said, “I'm moving.” I don't want to be a part of this… It looks so bad. It's worse than a third world country,” Kokolich said.

Cafe worker Maria Jakubikova was working until 8:30 PM on Christmas Day and saw the mess left behind by the huge crowds.

Ms Jakubikova arrived at work the next day to see the “extreme waste and rubbish” left behind by the revelers.

Local Bronte resident Marian Riabic was still cleaning up the beach park on Wednesday.

Mr Riabic was seen picking up waste metal hairs that had fallen from the street sweepers used by the council to clean the streets and park areas after the Christmas party.

Mr. Goltsman said he was concerned about what would happen in the coming days and weeks.

“I'm worried about New Year's Eve,” he said. “People are bored, they come down, all you need is a couple of bongos and it's drawing more and more people.”

The wild scenes follow several similar events last year, when revelers gathered at the same spot to celebrate Australia Day and Christmas Day.

The shame also comes three years after riot police officers broke up an illegal Christmas party on the same beach.