Bondi Historic Rockfishing spots - can you name them?

[mrsswordfisherman]

See if you can name the spots, you fished on the rocks all those years ago in the Eastern Suburbs. Name 12 to get a legend status. Old nick names of spots only team!!

[wazatherfisherman]

South Head (Hornby's), The Chapel, Gap (fixed ladder), Big Gap (rope ladder through hole), High Gap, Jacobs Ladder, The Lighthouse (platform), High Lighthouse (point) North Rosa, Rosa Murk, Big Greenie, The Logs, The Block (Diamond Bay-high and low), George St, Big Rock (north Mattens), Under the Ropes (mid Mattens), Suicide, The Sedges (stands for 'straight edges), Pig Rock ('swimming pool' was other name) The Mattens and Lake, Greenie, Magpie, The Alters, The Murk (known also as 'Stelle the smeller'), Bird Island, Tumbledown, Ben Buckler, Bogie Hole, Mermaid, There are others between South Head and Bondi, but these were the main ones fished.

Fished all of them barring Big Greenie, The Logs, The Alters, High Gap and Bird Island as there were better spots in close proximity. Also never fished Big Rock (nth Mattens) as crawling across an unsecured ladder wasn't my idea of fun. Never considered Bird Island's 'private' bosun's chairs either. Did some of the initial work on developing the 'Lighthouse' (Macquarrie) spot along with Dave Carter, Billy Brown and Jim Clarke who were responsible for making it accessible. The Mattens at Dover Heights is the best spot, albeit the most dangerous access and if it was too rough (sea) to fish there, rock fishing wasn't safe anywhere along there bar the high spots (High Gap, The Block, Big Rock)

The Mattens is still fished, as are many of the other locations except 'The Block' where the council removed the ladder after a fatality. Ben Buckler Barnacle is an old fishing legend who takes all the great footage. 

Thanks for posting this Donna, great memories for my old crew

[big Neil]

Wazathefisherman = LEGEND.

 

Good onya Waza.

bn

[mrsswordfisherman]

6 hours ago, wazatherfisherman said:

South Head (Hornby's), The Chapel, Gap (fixed ladder), Big Gap (rope ladder through hole), High Gap, Jacobs Ladder, The Lighthouse (platform), High Lighthouse (point) North Rosa, Rosa Murk, Big Greenie, The Logs, The Block (Diamond Bay-high and low), George St, Big Rock (north Mattens), Under the Ropes (mid Mattens), Suicide, The Sedges (stands for 'straight edges), Pig Rock ('swimming pool' was other name) The Mattens and Lake, Greenie, Magpie, The Alters, The Murk (known also as 'Stelle the smeller'), Bird Island, Tumbledown, Ben Buckler, Bogie Hole, Mermaid, There are others between South Head and Bondi, but these were the main ones fished.

Fished all of them barring Big Greenie, The Logs, The Alters, High Gap and Bird Island as there were better spots in close proximity. Also never fished Big Rock (nth Mattens) as crawling across an unsecured ladder wasn't my idea of fun. Never considered Bird Island's 'private' bosun's chairs either. Did some of the initial work on developing the 'Lighthouse' (Macquarrie) spot along with Dave Carter, Billy Brown and Jim Clarke who were responsible for making it accessible. The Mattens at Dover Heights is the best spot, albeit the most dangerous access and if it was too rough (sea) to fish there, rock fishing wasn't safe anywhere along there bar the high spots (High Gap, The Block, Big Rock)

The Mattens is still fished, as are many of the other locations except 'The Block' where the council removed the ladder after a fatality. Ben Buckler Barnacle is an old fishing legend who takes all the great footage. 

Thanks for posting this Donna, great memories for my old crew

I knew you would know all the answers @wazatherfisherman 

I came across this (author unknown) 

[wazatherfisherman]

3 hours ago, mrsswordfisherman said:

I knew you would know all the answers @wazatherfisherman 

I came across this (author unknown) 

Hi Donna I believe that Ben Buckler Barnacle (BBB) wrote the text- he did an excellent project called 'Great rock fishing scrambles of Sydney' which has really good footage of many of these spots from both land level and also from a drone.  I'm pretty sure this picture is of Bondi Murk access and there was a ladder at the end of 'the ramp' which was removed by council. The council used to drop rubble from two spots along there.

The gear 'caves' had 'lockers' with impregnable iron doors built into the cliff, where everything from bosun's chairs to tackle- including rods/reels- were left.

Edited April 18, 2023 by wazatherfisherman
more info

[XD351]

Watching these videos when I was younger convinced me that I was never going fishing there ! ( although I have been told that my old man used to fish many of the spots from south head to Bondi and over off bluefish - would have been 1950s& 60s )The only climbing I ever did was down the rope at the ovens at Avalon - heights and I don’t get on well 😂
 

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by XD351

[frankS]

I used to fish with Ron quiet often , he was the one that introduced me to the buoy anchor retrieval system. I have many fond moments in my memory banks. I have never been a keen rock fisherman as I have had boats since I was 16 years old.

Frank

[XD351]

I had the pleasure of meeting him only once  at a tackle show many moons ago , out of all the big names in fishing that were there that day  - harro , miller and starling etc  Ron was the most approachable as was John Bethune when I met him . I used to spend a bit of time talking all things Alvey and rock and beach fishing with John McConkey when I went to any tackle show - he was also a ripper bloke to talk to ! The way I approach fishing now I owe wholly and solely to Ron , his book changed the way I thought about fishing altogether and I think that out of the god knows how many fishing books I have read over the last 45 yrs his book is the one I learned the most from .

P.S. Sorry Donna I didn’t mean to hijack your fantastic post !

Edited April 18, 2023 by XD351

[mrsswordfisherman]

No don’t worry @XD351

I love the convos that come out of these posts. People fondly talking about these areas and their adventures is very interesting. 

This is not Bondi of course but it’s part of the LBG old times. 
Here is a pic of Stewy (late 70’s) who gaffed Scott Mitchell’s first marlin. It weighed 33 kg and was taken at the Outer Tubes. 
 

https://www.shimanofish.com.au/content/fish/oceania/au/en/homepage/articles/land-based-game-fishing.html
 

 

[Birdy]

This post is awesome. I was born in Bondi and still live here. I'm 25 years old and fish a lot around the area. Seeing all the old videos and pictures of the spots I found myself long before I was born is crazy! The ladder still exists; its going stronger than ever.