How Australia's beach cabana drama sparked a turf war

For years, a controversial "invader" has been gradually taking over Australian's beloved beaches. These large beach tents, known as "cabanas" in Australia, are engulfing the sand, blocking sea views, and turning the coast into an annoying maze.

"It's just so crowded, everywhere you look," 30-year-old Sydney resident Claire told the BBC. For her and most Australians, cooling off in hot weather means driving to the beach and spending a long time looking for parking. Now, the cabana craze means they have another battle to fight on the beach. Polyester awnings flutter in the breeze, and they are everywhere you look. Some are empty, set up at dawn and then abandoned for hours until their owners actually want to use them.

“People are taking up so much space… it can be a bit frustrating when you're just trying to find an inch of empty sand to put your towel down,” Claire said. Her frustration is not an isolated case. After a couple of summers of tension, an all-out turf war broke out in the first few days of 2025, sparking a debate about Australian culture and beach etiquette. Arguments over the acceptable use of cabanas have dominated social media, triggering a wave of opinion pieces and TV segments, even drawing in the Prime Minister.

Those who call themselves "haters" say that the presumptuous cabana users are hogging public space and disrespecting other beachgoers. "Where is my 'gay uncle' Nick going to go when you put four cabanas up side-by-side on the beach?" anti-cabana campaigner and TikTok user Nick Salerno said on the TV talk show, The Project. "I just want my space on the beach." But cabana supporters say that seeking protection from Australia’s harsh sun is not a crime and that it’s every person for themselves.

Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, and many supporters, including the national charity Cancer Council, believe this new trend should actually be praised. “Me and my partner have a great cabana because we both burn really easily, and we don't want to die of skin cancer at 30, hopefully that helps,” one online user wrote in response to a rant on TikTok. Cabana critics retort that no one is denying the importance of sun protection, but they say that it is just a convenient excuse for many who use beach tents.

They claim that half the time they are not even sitting under the awning, and there is no need for two people to put up an entire tent for an hour or two when sunscreen and a hat would do the trick. Other cabana enthusiasts are more candid about their motives. Breakfast TV host Davina Smith admitted that, for her, it's about grabbing "prime real estate" on a busy beach. She is one of those who builds cabana castles in the early morning to reserve territory for her family to use later in the day. “There's a lot of research involved. You've got to get up early, you've got to watch the tides. You can't just put it there and walk away... you've got to be invested,” Smith argued on Channel Nine’s Today show.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is also among those annoyed by the trend: “It's gone too far,” he said on the same show. “One of the great things about Australia is that, unlike some places in the world, you don't have to pay to go to the beach. Here, everyone owns the beach... and this is actually a violation of that principle.” Even lifeguards have weighed in on the matter, with some telling local media that cabana encampments can make it difficult for them to do their jobs.

Why is this such a contentious issue? There are some cultural quirks that mean the cabana affair is riling up Australians more than “spring magpies.” Firstly, the country likes to think of itself as an egalitarian society – a land of “fair go” – and this extends to the use of one of its most treasured national assets. “Australian beaches, which have always been seen as shared spaces, democratic spaces, where social hierarchies disappear… they're seen as the great equaliser,” says Es Kay, a researcher at the University of Technology Sydney. Australians are “fiercely” protective of this ideal: “They see it as an inalienable right,” says Chris Pepin-Neff, who researches Australian beach culture.

They point to a backlash in 1929 when visitors to Sydney’s Coogee Beach were forced to pay to enter the only shark-netted section of water. More recently, a plan to lease part of Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach to an exclusive beach club was also met with fierce protest. While the use of large cabanas is a relatively new phenomenon, there has long been a “huge class tension” around the use of the country’s coastline, Dr. Pepin-Neff added. A lack of infrastructure, affordable housing, and community attitudes often make it difficult for ordinary Australians to access the waterfront, and these natural assets tend to be monopolized by those fortunate enough to live there. “And people feel like this is just extending it further, that ordinary families can't even find a spot on the beach.”

But they say there is no real data on who is using cabanas and why. They also argue that there may be many legitimate reasons why people use them. Perhaps they have travelled a long way, so they are planning on staying at the beach for longer, or they may have a disability or young children who need care, he says. “There is a balance between having a free open beach that everyone can use, and making sure you're respectful of other people.” They are not defending the “land bankers”: “As a Sydney resident, I think it's an abuse of privilege... it's not fair.”

As the debate intensifies, there have been calls for a truce to restore peace to Australia’s shores. Rowan Clarke, the founder of Beachkit Australia, which sells equipment including cabanas, told The Sydney Morning Herald that even he thinks cabana enthusiasts should be more courteous. “They should only be allowed to be set up in a line at the back of the beach,” he said, “and once that area is full, that style of shade structure should not be allowed anymore.” Others are hoping authorities will get the situation under control, as some places in the US have done. It has been suggested that local councils could limit how many cabanas can be set up on their beaches, and where they can be located.

But Sydney resident Claire, despite her frustration, worries that this could tip the scales the other way and prevent others from using the beach. “You obviously don't want to be too precious about it… it’s just the beach, it's a first-world problem, right? I think overall we should just try to be considerate of each other.”