Turf war: explaining the cabana debate dividing Australians

More people are using big beach cabanas to reserve spots on the beach.
The Prime Minister has labelled the practice as “un-Australian,” sparking fierce debate among both camps.
Some suggest that beach rules should be changed to limit cabanas on the sand.
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A fierce debate over our favourite patches of sand has emerged as Australia’s best beaches shoulder a quintessential summer.

Beach cabanas are not a new sight. Over the past ten years, at least, you’d have expected to see at least a few cabanas at every beach from Bondi to Cottesloe. But it’s been a bit different this summer, with cabanas now so widespread that even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has had to step in with his own comments, labelling the increasingly common practice of using cabanas to reserve spots on the beach as “Un-Australian.”

The Australian Prime Minister says that it is simply “not on” for Australians to use cabana shades to reserve space on the beach, stating that “everyone owns the beach” when it comes to this country.

People using cabanas to turn the beach into some kind of stuffy reservations-only institution does seem to go against the spirit of Australian summer, but clearly not everyone agrees.

An online community page in Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula has called out people getting to the beach early to set up their cabana, only to then go off an run errands before returning to their self-designated spot.

Some seem to agree with our Prime Minister, labelling the practice as “un-Australian,” while others seem to dismiss any critics as “Karens” just finding something new to complain about.

Notably, this isn’t the first summer to see this debate spring up, but it does mark the first time a Prime Minister has stepped in to comment. Reportedly, some councils are thinking of banning the beach cabana altogether, while there are other, more reasonable, common sense suggestions that beach cabanas should be delegated to a row at the back of the beach.

The debate is also not limited to just Australia. Over in the US, for example, Myrtle Beach in South Carolina has banned the use of beach tents over summer, given the size can make it more difficult for first responders and other emergency services to access the sand.

Australian beaches have always been democratic in the sense that they are (mostly) all public and considered ‘crown land’—an official term used for “land held by the NSW Government on behalf of the public, for the benefit of the community.”

Some members of the community have used the debate to further suggest massive changes to how Australian beaches operate.

“When will someone in the country see sense and allow private businesses to build beach clubs on small parts of the beach,” stated one user on X.

“Almost every other beach in the world at the very least has someone renting out beach chairs, but in Australia, nothing.”

This suggestion has been quickly shot down, of course, with other users citing that Australians cherish their beaches as equitable public institutions.

“No thanks… we don’t want this… beaches for all Australians, not just those rich enough to pay.”