bondi beach

It’s hard to imagine now, but there was once a time when jumping into the ocean at Bondi Beach during the day could actually get you into trouble with the law. Long before Sydney became famous for its beach culture, surfing and ocean pools, daylight swimming was banned across much of colonial New South Wales. The rules were introduced in 1833 under the Sydney Police Act, with authorities claiming daytime bathing was offensive to public morality and decency. That meant no cooling off in the ocean between 7am and 8pm — exactly the hours most people would actually want to…