Description

Tamarama is a very popular beach 7km (4mi) South of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia. It is a small sandy beach surrounded by rocky cliffs common to the Sydney coastline. Behind the beach is a nice grassy park, along which is a concrete path, part of the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk.
Tamarama is an ocean surf beach, the middle of which faces South-East. Access to the beach is by car, bus or walking from Bronte or Bondi.

Name

Tamarama was originally called Dixon Bay, but the name was changed to Tamarama in the 1800's. Coastline maps from the 1860's list the coastal area as 'Gamma Gamma', which is an Aboriginal name, so its likely the name derived from this. 'Tama' has a few nick-names, including the tongue in cheek 'Glamarama', from 'glamourous', which pays recognition to the quality of the local sunbathers.

Tamarama Beach Map

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Tamarama is Patrolled 7 Days a week from Oct to April. Flags often cover most of the beach, meaning no hard boards allowed during patrol hours.

There is a grassy park with picnic tables behind the beach.

There is a kiosk/cafe just behind the beach, usually open during peak periods. It is a great place to stop for a coffee and focaccia while on the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk.

Sunbathing is very popular on this beach, the beach's nick-name is 'Glamarama' in recognition of the 'glamourous' bodies that line up on the sand, many of them topless. The sand here is some of the best in the world, clean and soft.

Swimming is also popular at Tama, usually sunbathers and walkers cooling off. The beach is patrolled during peak times, but care should always be taken here. Due to the beaches small size rips are very common and hard to avoid. This beach is considered by lifesavers to be on of the most dangerous in Sydney.

There is a good reef break at Tama that works in small to medium swell, but tends to get dumpy in the bigger stuff. This beach is small though, the lifesaver flags cover most of the surfable break, which means no hard boards during peak times (usually 9:30am-6pm).

Good fishing along the rock platforms near Tamarama Beach. The beach is fairly busy and small, so fishing from the shore is only practical during off peak times.

Tamarama Beach is halfway along the Bondi to Bronte Coastal Walk.

History

Amusement Park - In the 1890's an elaborate aquarium with a roller-coaster that ran over the water was the main attraction at the beach. It burnt down and was replaced by a new place called 'Wonderland' that offered elephant rides on the beach. More on Wikipedia (external link)

Sculpture by the Sea

Sculpture by the Sea is an interesting artistic event involving outdoor sculptures placed along the Bondi Coastal walk from South Bondi to Tamarama. Many of the sculptures make use of the surrounding coastal environment. Sculpture by the Sea runs over a fortnight each November. Click here (external link) to visit site.

Tamarama Surf Breaks

Tamarama Reef Break works best in SE swells, off shore winds are from the W. Nice when its working and reef break joins with the rippy beach break. Tends to be better in colder months, which is for the best as Tama is a very small beach and board riders are not permitted on most of the break when the flags are up (depending where actual flags are put).
Left hand break, can handle medium to big swells.