Sculpture by the Sea, the bus to Bondi and home

Take route 333 from Circular Quay to Bondi Beach. Or catch the T4 to Bondi Junction and a bus down the hill. Walk the sculptures south to Tamarama. Leave from there on the 381 loop.

Around 450,000 people are expected over the 18 days. Street parking near the beach fills early on a weekend. So the bus is the plan here, not the backup.

A hundred sculptures stand along two kilometres of coast. Take your swimmers and give it longer than you think.

How do you get there without a car?

1. Take route 333 from Circular Quay to Bondi Beach. It stops along Elizabeth St at Martin Place, St James and Museum.
2. Or take the T4 to Bondi Junction instead. It is the closest station to the beach.
3. At Bondi Junction, change for a bus down to Bondi Beach. The 333 goes from Stand A.
4. Get off at Campbell Parade. Walk south to the end of the beach.
5. Follow the sculptures along the coast to Marks Park at Tamarama. That is the far end.

If you are not sure which stop is yours, you can find it by the route number.

Which end do you leave from?

This is the decision that catches people out.

Bondi has the frequent buses. Tamarama has one loop route.

Stop at Tamarama and you leave on the 381. It loops back up to Bondi Junction. The extra services run from 9.15am until 6.50pm, every day of the exhibition.

Would you rather not watch a clock? Walk back to Bondi instead. Route 333 runs to Bondi Junction and Circular Quay frequently, on weekdays and weekends.

On a weekend there is a third way out. Route 362 runs between Bondi Beach and Coogee via Bronte and Tamarama. It goes every 15 minutes from 10am to 6pm.

When do the extra buses stop?

The additional buses are what make this easy, and each one has an end time.

• From Tamarama Marine Dr, the extra 381 loop buses to Bondi Junction run 9.15am to 6.50pm, daily.
• From Campbell Parade, extra buses to Bondi Junction go about every 10 minutes from 1.13pm until 7.23pm.
• Route 380 runs between Bondi Junction and North Bondi about every 10 minutes from 10am until 5pm.
• Route 362 is weekends only. Every 15 minutes between 10am and 6pm.

After those windows each route goes back to its regular timetable. So check the live times before you walk up to the road.

Expect a queue for the bus, most of all on a weekend. Allow extra time for standing in it.

Should you drive?

Not on a weekend.

Local roads around Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama close each day of the exhibition to manage the crowds. Notts Ave at the southern end of Bondi Beach is one of them. It is shut from 7.30am to 6.30pm daily.

Special event clearways apply on the three event weekends. On the northern side of Bondi Rd they run from 7am to 2pm. On the southern side they run from midday to 7pm. On the eastern side of Campbell Pde they run from 8am to 4pm.

A clearway is a strict no-parking zone, and it applies to residents too. Cars left in one are towed and a fee applies.

Parking at Bondi Beach is expected to reach capacity early on weekends.

The practical stuff

• Toilets along the route, plus a cafe and a kiosk.
• Crowds are heaviest on weekends. Go on a weekday if you can.
• Queues for the bus are expected, especially on weekends.
• Accessible trips show with a wheelchair icon when you plan one.
• Trackwork runs on some weeknights during the exhibition. Check your trip before you go.
• Tap on and off the way you would on any other trip.
• Swimmers: there is a beach at each end of the walk.

Early in the day is the quiet part. Weekend afternoons are not.

Getting home from the far end

The worry that puts people in a car is finishing at Tamarama with no way back.

It is a fair worry, and it has a time on it. The extra loop buses from Tamarama Marine Dr stop at 6.50pm. The regular 381 timetable takes over after that.

So pick the bus you are leaving on before you set off. Then you get to spend the walk looking at the sculptures instead of your phone.

If you want the longer version of this coastline, the walk from Bondi to Coogee carries on past Tamarama.