Residents of Sydney’s beachside suburbs, some of the most expensive real estate in Australia, have traditionally woken to the sounds of lapping waves or the muted yelps of small dogs on their morning walks.
But recently their mornings have been shattered by khaki-clad fitness instructors barking orders to boot camp-style classes. And the residents have had enough.
The municipal councils governing Mosman, a genteel park-studded neighbourhood on the north shore of Sydney harbour, and Bondi, the suburb which is home to Australia’s most iconic beach, have decided to crack down on fitness firms using public beaches for money-making classes.
Waverley mayor Peter Moscatt — a former international rugby league star who played in Australia and Britain and whose council covers Bondi — wants to license fitness instructors, and charge them a fee, to limit the number who conduct drills on the sand.
”We want to encourage passive recreation in our public spaces, including the beaches,” said Moscatt on Thursday.
”But that’s pretty hard when you have troops of people taking over certain areas, especially the beaches.”
Over the past three years, Australia’s fitness industry has seen a huge growth in crack-of-dawn, outdoor exercise sessions run by instructors who honed their own physiques in the rigorous boot camps of the military.
They bark out orders to their pupils, who tend to be up-scale professionals wanting to burn off as much fat as quickly as possible.
But the loud, regimented style has annoyed some of the more traditional beachside residents, who enjoy swimming at sunrise or walking their dogs in the neighbouring parks.
In Waverley, the fitness industry has even colonised the local cemetery, which sits on a headland overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
”We’ve had people doing workout classes on the gravestones,” said Moscatt. ”And that’s just too much!”
Mosman Council has decided to license the fitness instructors and charge them a $500 fee and Waverley wants to follow.
Moscatt says personal trainers are using Bondi’s internationally famous beach to make a handsome living and should contribute to the cost of maintaining the municipality.
”Bondi is already on the map,” said Moscatt. ”We’re recognised all over the world.
”If you want to come here and shoot a big-budget film, you pay. So why not the same for people running fitness classes?
”If you turned up on the beach in Monte Carlo with 50 or 60 people and started an exercises class, I’ll bet you’d have a problem.” – Sapa-AFP