SYDNEY — Beach properties were flooded and damaged on Wednesday after large swells and king tide battered the Australian shore near Sydney, officials said Thursday.

The Bondi, Bronte, Clovelly and Cronulla beaches were among the areas smashed by the 18-foot swells. The Icebergs pool at Bondi Beach was particularly hard-hit by the surf. Some glass fences above the pool were broken and railings were damaged. A large water tank also washed up on a beach near the tourist spot.

“It has just been devastating,” Bondi Beach club general manager Bob Tate said. “I’ve been a member for 50 years at Bondi. I’ve never seen this sort of thing before. You know, the sheer magnitude of the level of water and the power of the water coming through must’ve just been horrendous.”

Waves began increasing on Tuesday night.

Several homes were evacuated at Botany Bay in southern Sydney around midnight as waves surged across the coast, New South Wales State Emergency Service spokesperson Andrew Edmund said.

Sam Bebb, the operations manager at Wylie’s baths in Coogee, said they got “lucky” compared with Icebergs because their amenities were more elevated.

“The worst … is some broken seating on the pool deck and damage that we haven’t quite been able to assess to the fence line surrounding the premises,” Bebb said.

Waves smashed through the doors of Coogee Surf Club, ripped through handrails at South Coogee and deposited large amounts of sand over the club’s steps and rainbow walkway.

At Cronulla Beach, lifeguard Steve Winner said the beach, parts of the pavement behind it and electrical infrastructure had been damaged by 13-foot waves. Residents in Botany Bay were forced to evacuate as water flooded homes.

Authorities warned of further hazardous surf on Thursday with the potential to cause coastal erosion and damage from the Illawarra region south of Sydney to the Hunter region north of the city.

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