Australians pay millions of dollars for an apartment overlooking famous Bondi Beach, but only the ”Bondi Caveman” enjoys the panoramic water view for free.
Jhyimy Mhiyles has camped rough for the past five years on Bondi’s southern headland.
Tucked away on a cliff-top ledge, Mhiyles’ ramshackle home is sheltered from the cold, wet southerly winds of winter and bathed in sunshine and cooling northerly breezes in summer.
For the last two months the local council had tried to evict Mhiyles, claiming it was worried about his safety, but now it has bowed to local support for the eccentric ”caveman” and agreed to let him stay.
But there are a few housekeeping rules.
”If he continues to live on public land, Mr Mhiyles must abide by some house rules. These rules are non-negotiable. If he chooses not to abide by them, then we may need to take further action,” the local mayor said in a statement received on Tuesday.
The new rules are no open fires, no explosives or gas bottles, no disposing of human waste in public places and Mhiyles must keep his campsite tidy and discreet.
Sydney’s biggest selling newspaper, the Daily Telegraph, celebrated Mhiyles’ reprieve from eviction with an editorial.
”While his lifestyle is unlikely to suit most, his rent-free, rate-free existence will be seen as nothing short of utopic by his fellow Sydneysiders,” the newspaper said. – Reuters