How beach tents sparked a land war in Australia

Over the years, a controversial invader has gradually taken over Australia’s beloved beaches.

Swallowing the beach, blocking ocean views and turning the shoreline into an annoying maze, is a sea of ​​large beach tents, called cabanas in Australia.

“It’s chockers (full of people). They’re everywhere,” Sydneysider Claire, 30, told the BBC.

For him, and most Australians, cooling off on a sweltering day means making a robust trip to the coast, as well as trying to find a permanent parking spot. Now, the crazy cabana means another battle awaits on the beach.

Polyester covers in the breeze as far as the eye can see. Some are empty, set up at dawn and then abandoned for hours until their owners actually want to use them.

“The sheer amount of space that people are taking up … (when) you’re trying to find a square inch of free sand to put a towel on, it can be a little frustrating,” Claire says.

He is not alone in his anger. Several summers of heated tension have exploded into all-out war in the early days of 2025, sparking a debate about Australian culture and beach etiquette.

A row over the acceptable use of cabanas has dominated social media, spawned numerous op-eds and television episodes, and even dragged the prime minister.

The self-described haters say cabana crews crowd public space and disrespect other beachgoers.

“When you’re polluting the beach with your four cabanas next to each other, where’s Guncle (Gay Uncle) Nic going to go,” said anti-cabana crusader and TikToker Nic Salerno on TV’s The Project.

“I just want my place on the beach, guys.”

But the pro-cabin mob says seeking shelter from the brutal Australian sun is no crime, and it’s every man for himself.

Australia is the skin cancer capital of the world, and many supporters – including national charities, the Cancer Council – say the new trend should really be celebrated.

“My partner and I have a nice cabin because we both burn really easily and don’t want to die of skin cancer by the time we’re 30, so I hope this helps,” one person wrote in response to a TikTok call.

No one discounts the importance of sun safety, cabana critics say, but they say that’s just a convenient excuse for many who use beach tents.

Half the time they’re sitting under the shade covers, they say, and there’s no need for two people to pitch the entire tent for an hour or two, when sunscreen and a hat will do.

Other cabana devotees are more forthcoming about their motivations. Breakfast TV presenter Davina Smith admitted that for her it’s about grabbing “prime real estate” on busy beaches.

He is one of those who put up their cabin castles early in the morning to reserve territory for his family later that day.

“There’s a lot of research into this. You get up early, you’ve got to watch the tides. You can’t get in there and walk away… you invest in it,” Smith argued on Nine’s Today programme.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among the hordes disgusted by the trend: “That’s not on,” he said on the same show.

“One of the great things about Australia, unlike some parts of the world, you have to go and pay to go to the beach. Here, everyone owns the beach… And that violates that principle, really.”

Lifeguards also have an opinion on this matter, as some local media say, cabana camps can make it difficult to do their job.

There are various cultural curiosities which mean Cabanagate has more jobs than Australians magpie in spring

First, the country likes to think of itself as an egalitarian society – the land of the “fair” – and this extends to the use of one of its most prized national assets.

“Australia’s beaches have always been seen as shared spaces, democratic spaces where social hierarchies dissolve… (they’re seen as great levellers),” says Ece Kaya, a researcher at the University of Technology Sydney.

And Australians are “hugely” protective of that ideal: “They see it as a birthright,” says Chris Pepin-Neff, who studies Australian beach culture.

They represent the reaction of beachgoers at Sydney’s Coogee Beach in 1929 when they were forced to pay for access to a single stretch of water covered by shark nets. Recently, an offer to lease part of Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach to an exclusive beach club was met with great outcry.

And while the use of spacious cabins is a relatively new phenomenon, there has long been “tremendous class tension” around the use of the country’s coastline, Dr Pepin-Neff added.

Lack of infrastructure, affordable housing and community attitudes keep ordinary Australians out of coastal areas, and these natural assets are often monopolized by those lucky enough to live there.

“And there’s a perception that’s creeping in even more, (so) the average family can’t get a spot on the beach.”

But they say there is no real data on who is using the cabanas and why. They also argue that there are many good reasons for people to use it. Maybe they’ve come a long way, so they plan to spend more time at the beach, or they have a disability or young children to take care of, she says.

“There’s a balance between a free and open beach that everyone can use and making sure you’re being respectful.”

However, they offer no defense to the “land bankers”: “As a Sydneysider, I think that’s an abuse of privilege … that’s not fair.”

As the dispute escalates, there are calls for a truce to restore peace on Australia’s shores.

Rowan Clark, the founder of Beachkit Australia, which sells equipment including cabanas, told the Sydney Morning Herald though he thinks cabana owners need to be more polite.

“They only need to set up in a line at the back of the beach,” he said. “When this is exhausted, this shadow style should no longer be tolerated.”

Others want to be controlled by the authorities, some like in the United States. There are suggestions that municipalities can limit how many cabanas can be placed on their beaches and where.

But Sydney resident Claire, for all her anger, worries it could tip the scales in the other direction and put other people off using the beach.

“You don’t want to over-price it, obviously… it’s just the beach, first world problems right?

“I think, in general, we should try to respect each other.”