Breakfast on Bondi

Didgeridoos break the silence of Bondi’s early waves, welcoming the dawn as the light grey clouds allow the sun to gingerly peek through.  The majestic music of a 55 piece orchestra floats over the beach. Waves crash and tumble during each timely pause, a heady reminder of the outdoor elements.  Surfers catch the rolling swell as the crescendos of Beethoven’s fifth symphony mesmerise the crowd.

It’s a warm, overcast morning as approximately 5000 people set up their towels, picnics and line up for much needed coffees in anticipation of a spectacular sunrise experience – all before 6am.  A new initiative of the Crave Festival, the Breakfast at Bondi creatively combined Sydney’s love of beaches and brekky in an unusual blend of boardies and bowties.  Sydneysiders were able to embrace the natural beauty of our town while appreciating inspiring musical talent and organic muesli, coffees and muffins.

The Strathfield Symphony Orchestra took us on an arousing journey from Mozart to Beethoven, enjoying the novelty feeling of sand between our toes while listening to the majestic classics.  Between boardies and havaiianas, skateboards and picnic baskets, the atmosphere was festive as Crave director Joanna Savill welcomed the crowd.  While celebrity chef Bill Granger described Sydney as a cross between a city and a resort, Masterchef’s Northern Beaches boy Hayden Quinn roved the beach to spot the best picnic brekkies on offer.

Gabrielle Upton, Bill Granger and Hayden Quinn

Bill Granger signs copies of his new book

Local Bondi institutions such as Katipo, the Fruitologist and Ariel Bookshop catered to early bird demands of fruit salad, coffees and Bill’s latest recipe book.  The moving Pachelbel’s canon – described by the conductor as “the one-hit wonder of the classical world” – had the audience spellbound as the gentle sun started to win over the clouds.

The Breakfast on Bondi was a pertinent reminder of Sydney’s uniquely sensational surrounds, even in the heart of the city.  Forcing one back to the present through artfully executed music, the wafting aroma of coffee and the relaxed beach location, the brekky was a reminder to pause; smell the coffee beans and listen to the waves.

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