Bondi History | The Astra
Bondi History | The Astra
On the corner of Sir Thomas Mitchell Road and Campbell Parade with a terrific view south over the sweep of Bondi Bay sits a landmark heritage-listed building with a long and colourful history.
The original 1880 building was called The Cliff House. It was the very first building overlooking the southern end of Bondi Beach.
The Cliff House was demolished in early 1920s.
The current building, originally The Hotel International, opened in 1926. It didn’t trade successfully, and was sold on to newspaper proprietor Joynton Smith, who renamed it The Astra.
Its heyday began in 1937 when it was taken over by Allen Oldfield and his three sons.
The Casino Bar on the first floor offered fine dining for 100 guests. There was always an orchestra playing, and it was very popular for Christmas dinners. The actor Peter Finch is said to have been a waiter there.
During World War II the building was taken over by the Government for use by the air force and later by the British “wrens” (Women’s Royal Naval Service).
It’s Long Island Bar had eight taps, and was one of the largest in Sydney. It was all cream and green tiles, “classy” and well kept. There was a lot of spit and polish involved, and one end of the snack bar was famous for its pies. People came from miles around and ordered them by the dozen.
In February 1943 a brawl involving 1,500 people was reported across the country. The fighting went on in and outsideThe Astra. One man was pushed under a tram. The cause? It was a horse-race-less Saturday, so more men (including soldiers) than usual were wanting beer. The crowd become hostile when the numbers became too large for the serving staff. The beer supply ran out at 5:45pm. Oh dear …
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, a British-Australian film starring Ernest Borgnine and Angela Lansbury, was filmed there in 1959.
Oldfields sold the hotel in 1967 and it then went through several subsequent owners. It became a grungy pub, and a rats nest of junkies and dealers … a place where you always knew you could score.
In the 70s and into the 80s it became a favoured haunt for bikies and a particular sub culture drawn from New Zealand’s Maori community living in Sydney. It was a fairly challenging place to find oneself, and Bondi had an edge of danger back then to which The Astra contributed.
Ultimately, after much complaining about various disturbances from Bondi residents, the Council closed it down. The building was renovated and turned into The Bondi Astra Retirement Village in 1984.
Is that where it ends? Maybe not.
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Archival photos courtesy Waverley Library Local History Image Collection
