Bondi beach bans booze to take the heat out of Christmas

Australia's traditional celebration of sun, sand and surf will be alcohol-free this Christmas, thanks to a booze ban on Bondi beach.

The council controlling the Sydney beach has announced that alcohol will be banned from the sand during Christmas and new year to prevent a repeat of rioting which has marred previous years.

As many as 40,000 people turn up on Bondi's half-mile of sand each Christmas, and last year up to 200 people needed to be rescued from the surf. Rip currents in parts of the beach are notorious, particularly one at the south end, nicknamed the backpackers' express. Beach rangers will be able to confiscate alcohol and impose A$220 (£90) fines.

"On Christmas Day they're going to be turning people away if they bring alcohol to the beach," the mayor of Waverley council, Peter Moscat, told Sydney's Daily Telegraph. "You only need one person to get out of control and you've got a powderkeg."

Festive rioting at Bondi dates back to when it was a seaside village miles from the city. In 1884 a row at a beachside pub resulted in revellers beating each other with eucalyptus branches and women tearing each other's hair.

The arrival of backpackers has transformed what is now a suburb into a haven for European travellers, who have become synonymous with bad behaviour. There was a riot on Christmas Day 1995, and two stabbings that New Year's Eve. Festivities in 1996 were also marred by disorder.

Smoking has been banned on the beach and several other stretches of sand under the control of Waverley council, leading to accusations that traditional Australian culture is being destroyed by "wowsers" - spoilsports.

"You don't want people falling all over the shop, but you can't stop people having a drink at Christmas," said one Bondi surfer, Brett Long.

A measure passed last year empowered police to take alcohol from anyone drinking to excess, but this year will be the first time an alcohol ban is strictly enforced.

A British backpacker, Cathy Delaney, said the move would make her think twice about spending Christmas on the beach. "You come all this way around the world, and spending Christmas at Bondi is part of what everyone says you have to do here. It's not the same if you can't have just one drink."