Bondi caveman to keep beach home

Jhyimy recites his poems to tourists as they pass his cliff-top home

A man known as the caveman of Bondi is to keep his ramshackle home atop the famous Australian beach.

A local council reversed a decision to evict Jhyimy "Two Hats" Mhiyles after more than 400 residents and tourists signed a "Save the Caveman" petition.

Jhyimy must now abide by a strict set of rules to avoid being evicted again.

He has called the roofless dwelling on a cliff overlooking Sydney's Bondi his home for seven years, after moving in during the 2000 Olympics in the city.

House rules

In March, Waverley Council told Jhyimy to pack up his belongings and leave his cliff-top idyll due to hygiene and safety issues.

Some residents had complained that his home was an eyesore and a health risk.

Ultimately we became increasingly concerned about Mr Mhiyles' safety because of the expansion of his camp... his proximity to the cliff face and the problems with fires George Newhouse, Waverley mayor

But to other locals and tourists he was a rugged symbol of Australia's pioneering spirit.

Many of these supporters, who passed him along the cliff-top walk from Bondi to Bronte, protested against his eviction and backed an online campaign to help him keep his open-air home.

In response to the campaign, Jhyimy has been allowed to keep his shanty-like shelter - and million-dollar views.

But he must not dispose of human waste in public, light open fires or use explosives or combustible materials. He must also keep the area tidy, said Waverley Mayor George Newhouse.

Jhyimy considers himself a guardian of the tourist hotspot

"Ultimately we became increasingly concerned about Mr Mhiyles' safety because of the expansion of his camp... his proximity to the cliff face and the problems with fires and gas cylinders," Mr Newhouse said.

"Some related hygiene issues have also become more difficult to manage."

The council will still try to find alternative accommodation for the aspiring poet, who regales passing tourists with his offbeat compositions and considers himself a guardian of the area.

"Our visitors were spending all that money to come over to Australia, they'd go for a swim and then they find that their bags were nicked," he told the BBC in March.

"There was a mob of predators feeding off the tourist public. And I'm glad to say that's a thing of the past. I've discouraged them."