Since Time Out Sydney started it’s been a goal to profile Sydney’s colourful identities, the characters that define the city, our folk heroes and villains. One we’ve always been fascinated by is the "Bondi Caveman", the apparently homeless man who lives on the cliff face of Bondi.

Anyone who’s ever made the walk from Bondi around to Coogee would’ve spotted his mess of tarpaulins off the edge of the footpath, right on the cliff face. To the casual observer he’d be easy to write off as a crazy, probably drunken, antisocial recluse, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

When a writer and i ventured off the path and into his precarious waterfront home he couldn’t have been more charming or accommodating. Offering coffee and a seat he introduced himself as Jhyim Mhiyles, later explaining the odd spelling is due to a fondness for the letter Y in the middle of his name and a theory about it representing the trinity. He’s certainly an eccentric but he’s far from crazy.

We chatted for almost two hours about his life, sharing tales from his 8 years living on the cliff face and primarily transient life before that. He’s not a fan of the ‘homeless’ label, preferring to think of himself in the Australian tradition of the ‘Jolly Swagman’. He’s proud of the way he maintains the place, feeding all the local birds and making a point of being friendly to the curious gawkers who walk by.

Meeting people like Jhyim and being let into their lives for a brief moment to take some photographs is an incredible privilege.

The double page story, written by Stephanie Goldberg, is in the "Summer Holiday" issue of Time Out Sydney out now.

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