Bondi beach
© AFP/File Jewel Samad

SYDNEY (AFP) - Malcolm Turnbull said the beach was top of the list of sites, which include Victoria's Great Ocean Road, Western Australia's Ningaloo Reef and the city of Broken Hill, being considered this year.

"Bondi includes so many iconic and indelible Australian values -- the lifesaving movement, volunteerism, the heroism of the men and women battling to save lives, and the surf," he said.

"It's all to be found here together with a relaxed hedonism. This is an amazing place."

Turnbull said he was confident that what he described as "the most famous beach in the world, one of the most iconic Australian sites" would be placed on the National Heritage list, which recognises sites of historical, environmental and indigenous importance.

Included in the listing would be Bondi Pavilion, the surrounding parks, and the surf lifesaving clubs, one of which was founded in 1906 and is considered the world's first.

Bondi Beach, which was opened to the public in 1855, would join a list of 70 other sites on the National Heritage List which includes the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Uluru in the Northern Territory, and Queensland's Great Barrier Reef.

Australian Heritage Council chairman Tom Harley said Bondi, which attracts tourists from all over the world, deserved a place on the list.

"Bondi is perhaps at the centre of a lot of our understanding of who we are as a country," he said.

"This beach has been at the centre of Australia's image. It's hard to think of a list of the iconic Australian places, Uluru, the Barrier Reef, without thinking of Bondi Beach."

©AFP